Bleed Out
by ThePhenomenalLunaticLucy
Summary: I Gave It All, But You Can't Stop Taking From Me
1. Chapter 1

My name is Avery Wayne-Kyle, I am the daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, that's right, my parents are Catwoman and Batman.

Unfortunately, my mother died in an explosion caused by Harley Quinn and The Joker, my father told me she was trying to turn away from her former life or crime, but not everything goes as planned, he was going to propose to my mom when he found out about my mom's death on the news.

I now live with my father and "brothers", and dad has been such a great help with grieving the loss of mom, he even had mom buried next to my grandparents, so whenever I wanted to talk to her, she wasn't so far from me.

But enough of that, I am not here to talk about my woes, I'm here to talk about how I fell in love with a person I thought I would never fall in love with in a million years, Jason Peter Todd.

That's right, I'm in love with The Red Hood, but how I fell in love with him is no easy story to tell, but I think you guys deserve to know the story, I have been wanting to tell someone anyway.

My name is Avery Wayne-Kyle, and this is my pretty crappy love story.


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since Jason was "resurrected" by the Lazarus Pit, the relationship between him and my father has been strained, and I didn't like it one bit.

I know dad still loves Jason as his son, with all his heart, I know he hasn't said anything, but one night when I came home from patrol with Dick, Damian and Tim, I heard sobbing coming from his room, I guess he was too caught up in his grief to notice me, but I saw him holding a picture of Jason when he was 11 years old, tears cascading down his cheeks, I couldn't help but begin to cry with him, I took off my domino mask and ran to him and hugged him tight, I didn't care if he got mad at me for going into his room without his permission, but right now, he needed comfort and I would gladly give it to him.

"Daddy, one day, we'll get our Jaybird back, I know we will" I whispered through my tears, dad just tightened his grip on me "I hope so, Ava" I kissed his cheek and we broke away. "I apologize for coming into your room unannounced, dad, I just heard you sobbing and I couldn't stand to hear you in so much pain"

"Avery, it's ok, I actually needed a hug, I miss Jason a lot" dad placed his hand on my cheek and gently wiped my remaining tears away. "Go get some rest, Avery, you've had a long night" I nodded and left, but not before giving my dad another hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Once in my room, I climbed into bed, and my final thought before I went to bed was "Please God, bring my Jaybird home".

**A/N: I would make this a longer chapter, but the new season of "American Idol" is about to start, and I cannot miss it! Lol, but please review, it would mean the world to me :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The Night He Left

As I slept (Or tried to, more like it) I would get flashbacks of the night Jason had decided to cut off ties with us and leave us for good.

I remember how Dick had gotten on his knees and had begged him to come back, how Damian had basically threatened to cause him bodily harm if he decided to set even one toe into the manor, and how Tim just stayed there, crying his little heart out, and how I, not caring who was watching, had confessed to him that I was in love with him, and kissed him with all the emotion and love I had within me.

I was caught by surprise when he actually kissed me back, showing the same amount of emotion, but he quickly backed away, "Please, Avery, don't make this difficult for me" he whispered "If you love me Jay, you wouldn't be leaving us all behind, you wouldn't be leaving me behind" I looked at him directly in the eyes and I knew that he didn't wanna leave.

But he still turned around and walked away from us, from me, as he got on his motorcycle, I went after him and began shouting obscenities, knowing the other boys wouldn't be able to hear me. "So that's it, just because little Jason couldn't get his way, he's throwing everything away" I scoffed, trying to gauge a reaction from him, but got none, he just stood there on his motorbike, his mask on "You know, for someone who claims to be fearless, you sure are a coward" I think that got him because he got off the bike and made his way towards me.

"Listen, Avery, you think you have me figured out, but you don't know a fucking thing about me, Bruce was the one who didn't want to avenge my death, Bruce was the one who gave up on me when he found out I was a former drug lord, Bruce was-" "Bruce was the one who took you in and loved you as his own son when you had no one else to turn to" I finished for him, "Some father he turned out to be" he scoffed, I then took his face in his hands and leaned into him and kissed him as if it was my last day on earth, but he gently pushed me away, breaking my heart into millions of pieces, "Avery, I don't love you, I'm sorry, but you can do so much better than me" with what strength I had left in me, I put it all into my hand and slapped him as hard as I could, hoping his face would bruise.

"You wanna be like this? Fine, leave, and don't look back, and if you ever EVER decide to return to this house, Damian won't be the one you have to worry about hurting you, I tried to make you see the light, but your head is so far up your ass, you don't know what you're losing" I could feel more tears beginning to fall, but I wasn't gonna give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

"Avery, I'm so sorry" Jason tried to put his hand on my cheek, but I smacked it away, "You're not sorry, but soon, you will be, now go, get the fuck out of here and don't look back" I pointed to the exit of the batcave, Jason then turned around, and got on his bike "Before you go, Jason, one more thing, once you leave, I want you to know, no matter what, I'll always love you" he then turned the ignition on on his motorcycle and sped off, and just like I had instructed him to do, he didn't look back.

That was exactly 5 years ago, and he stayed true to his word, he never came back, he was no longer Jason Todd-Wayne, he was no longer our brother, and he was no longer my lover.

I opened my eyes and realized I had been crying, I honestly didn't care, I let them fall, I missed him, I missed how he would always make me laugh, how he would prank Damian and Tim, and how he'd play-wrestle with Dick, how he held my hand when I went on my first patrol as Catwoman, all those little things were things I missed greatly about him, but he threw it all away, I went from crying to fully sobbing, I sat up in my bed and just sobbed "Jason, why?"

A few minutes later, someone knocked on my door "It's open" I said, next thing I know, Dick, Tim and Damian threw their arms around me "We miss him too, Avery, we miss him too..." Tim whispered "I want him home too, Avery" Dick said in a hushed tone, Damian just looked at me and said "I want him to come back".

We stayed like that, just hugging each other and having a sob-fest, and before we knew it, we fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: I'm Done

When I finally woke up the next morning, I saw Dick, Tim and Damian sleeping soundly around me, and I smiled, yeah, Jason was gone, but I still had my other brothers with me, and in the end that was all that I needed _'Keep telling yourself that, Avery'_ my mind taunted at me, but I ignored it, as much as I still love Jason and want him back, no amount of crying or flashbacks were going to bring him back, so if he wanted to turn his back on us, I was going to turn my back on him.

"Good morning, Avery" groaned Tim as he rubbed his eyes, "good morning, baby brother" I slowly crawled out of bed so I wouldn't wake Damian or Dick, and Tim followed suit, "I'll meet you in the kitchen, Tim, I have something I need to speak with you about, it's very important, I was going to tell Dick, but he's not awake yet, so I'll tell you" I could tell Tim wanted to ask me more about what I wanted to tell him, but he didn't say anything, he just nodded and went to his room for his morning shower.

I went to the bathroom and began to undress for my own morning shower, as I went into the shower, I let the hot water soothe my aching muscles and relax my already troubled mind.

All I could think about was how I wanted to tell the guys that we were not going to associate anything having to do with the Jason anymore, I mean, it's not that I wanted to give up on him, that wasn't it at all, it was just that I was getting so sick and tired of us being the only people making the effort to try to mend things with Jason, if he wanted to act like a child, then by all means, I would let him, but I would no longer let him hurt me or my family, I would no longer let him be the cause of suffering for my family, I would kill myself before and I'd be damned if I was going to see my father cry for him again. If I had to turn into a cold-hearted bitch, then that was what I would become to make sure my family would be better off without him.

When I finally stepped out of the shower, I dried off my hair, making sure that Dick and Damian had already woken up and left to their respective rooms, I went to my room and put on a clean black bra with matching panties, then put on a pair of gray sweat pants and a plain black shirt.

As I went down the stairs, I could hear the voices of all my brothers in the dining area, '_Crap, I was hoping I would only talk to Tim_' I sighed, well, I guess I would tell all of them on what I had planned.

"Hey guys" I greeted "Avery" Damian nodded at me "Good morning, kitten" Dick greeted with a wave of his hand as I sat down at the head of the table, Alfred came by to give me my breakfast "Thank you, Alfred" "You're welcome, Ms. Avery, and good morning" I smiled at him "good morning, Alfred" as I began to eat, Dick was the first to speak up "Tim said that you wanted to speak with him about something, he said you were going to tell me about it, but I was still sleeping, what is it?" I looked at him nervously, "Is he ok, Avery?" Tim asked me "From what I know, yes, he's ok" "Does this matter concern Todd?" Damian asked "Yes, I wanted to talk to all of of you about him, but this isn't gonna be something that will be easy for me to talk about"

"What did you want to tell us, Avery?" asked Dick

"I think that since Jason has decided to cut off all ties to us and anyone related to my father, we should do the same, I am suggesting, that as of today, we will not, I repeat, we will not associate ourselves with Jason Todd or Red Hood, we will sever any and all ties we have with him as of today"

"ARE YOU INSANE, AVERY?" Hissed Dick

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" wondered Tim

"I think that's the right thing to do, Avery" agreed Damian

"Guys, look, it's not easy for me either, I love him, but I have had enough of us being the only ones making an effort to reconcile with Jason, if he doesn't want to associate with us, we will not associate with him, we cut off all bonds with him, I want him home just as much as you do, but I'm done trying, I'm sick of this being a one-sided attempt at reconciliation, this is my final decision, does anyone oppose?" I looked around the table to see if anyone would defy me, even Dick, but he remained silent "Dick, don't you think this is hurting me, too?" I asked "Do you think I made this decision just for shits and giggles?" Dick sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration "I know you didn't decide this for nothing, Avery, but it's something I have to think about, Jason's my little brother, I can't just leave him on his own" "That's the thing, Dick!" I barked "He himself decided to be on his own, no one convinced him, no one begged him, he made up his own damn mind, he made the choice to leave us, he made the choice to cut us out of his life, not us!"

"Grayson, you cannot argue with Avery's reasoning, I will not deny that I also miss Todd and wish he could be here with us, but if this is the life he chose, a life without us, then we should do the same, the more we burden ourselves worrying about him, the more suffering we will go through, I am done listening to father cry himself to sleep every night because of him, so I agree with Avery's decision and I will stand by her"

I reached out and squeezed Damian's hand in appreciation, he laced his fingers with mine and squeezed back. "Tim, what do you say, are you with me?" He just smiled weakly at me and spoke "I'm with you, Avery"

Dick had his hands in his head, unable to speak. "Dick, I need your answer, I know this is a difficult choice to make, but I know this is the right thing to do if we want to move on with our lives, I don't want us to be carrying the weight of Jason's memory on our shoulders forever, think about father, please"

He then looked up at me with tears in his eyes, and with a trembling voice he said "Alright, I'm with you, Avery, I'll do it"

The rest of the day went by without much of a word being spoken since the decision and soon, night began to approach and it was time to get ready for patrol, I took my mother's Catwoman suit and began to get dressed, I placed spirit gum on my domino mask and began to place it on my face, the only thing I didn't use was the cowl that my mom used with her outfit, I zipped up my suit and then brushed my hair for some odd reason, I knew my father wouldn't patrol with us tonight since he was on an assignment with the Justice League, so me and the guys would be patrolling tonight, me and Damian would be keeping an eye on Eastern Gotham City and Dick and Tim would watch over the Northern part of the City.

As I began to mount on my motorcycle, Dick made his way towards me "Avery, before we leave for patrol, I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning, I shouldn't have hesitated, I know your decision was made with good intentions, but I still feel bad, so I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I really am" I smiled wholeheartedly at him and gave him a hug "You are my brother, Richard Grayson, and I don't blame your actions this morning, I know it was a really hard decision for me to make, but I made it with all of you in mind, don't forget that I am still in love with him, Dickie, but it's time to move on, no looking back, only forward" "You're right, Avery" he nodded then waved 'bye' as he made his way to his own motorcycle, I started the ignition on my bike, revved the engine, and made my way out into the night, but not without one final thought making its way into my head "_Are you sure this is the right thing to do?_"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Good Riddance

I stood atop an old abandoned warehouse, using binoculars to check out the streets, until my comm device went off "Catwoman here" "Catwoman, this is Robin, I have a situation here, we have a robbery on North Hillside Rd. and I am in need of backup" "Copy that, Robin, I'm on my way" I quickly got off the building, got on my motorcycle and drove off to help my brother.

When I got to the site of the robbery, I saw Robin fighting three guys and I went to aid him, using my whip, I striked one of the guys in the back, making him fall on the ground in pain, I then kicked another goon straight in the face, knocking him out, Robin took care of the last guy by shooting him with a tranquilizer.

"Robin, are you ok?" I called, running to him as he collapsed, "Just got the wind knocked out of me, Avery, no need to make a fuss over me, Catwoman" I grinned, as I helped him get up.

Out of nowhere, I heard Robin shouting "CATWOMAN, LOOK OUT!" I was too late to see one of the goons take out his gun and shoot at me, so I just shielded Damian so the bullet would hit me, but nothing came, no bullet, no blood, I stood up and helped Damian get up as well and dusted him off "Catwoman, are you ok?" I checked myself all over and was relieved to find I was ok, I then checked Robin and was happy to just find a few scratches but nothing life-threatening.

"I could've sworn the guy took out a gun and tried to shoot you" Damian commented as he ran his hand through his hair "Well, I'm just glad it didn't" I giggled

"You could try saying 'Thank You', you know"

My heart dropped and Damian cursed out loud, no... It couldn't be, after 5 long years, I could still remember that voice, that haunting voice, he just now decides to makes himself known?

I turned around, and there he was, in all his Red Hood glory, the same guy I had sworn to myself I would never see again, no matter how hard it would seem, but why, why of all nights did he decide to show up now?

He had the guy who tried to shoot at me knocked out unconscious, I composed myself and spoke with as much professionalism as possible

"Thank you, Red Hood, Robin and I appreciate the help"

"The hell I-"

"Robin!"

Damian grumbled and finally looked at Red Hood and said his first words to him in 5 years, "I am grateful for the help you have given us, Red Hood"

"That's it?" asked Red Hood "No 'How are you?' or 'Where have you been'?"

"I recall you saying 'You could try saying 'thank you' and we already gave you our heartfelt thanks, what else do you want from us, Red Hood?" I was slowly getting angry and his cocky attitude wasn't helping my mood

"Alright,I guess, so how are things back home?" Oh, how did that set me off, I was about to open my mouth to rip him into pieces when Robin's comm system went off "Robin here" I stood quiet as Robin mouthed 'Nightwing' at me, Red Hood looked at me and I did my best to avert my eyes away from him.

"So, now you're giving me the silent treatment, Catwoman?" I scoffed and looked briefly at him "Whatever do you mean, Red Hood? As far as I know, you're just a good samaritan who helped me and my partner in our time of need, and we already gave you our thanks"

"It was Nightwing, he wanted us to call it a night" Damian replied "He will give us his and Red Robin's report once we meet up"

"Very well, Red Hood, once again me and Robin thank you for assisting us tonight, I hope that we will not cross paths once again, have yourself a good night, Robin, say goodbye to Red Hood and let's get going" Robin looked up at Red Hood and with a forced "Thank You" he followed me to our bikes

"Catwoman, can I talk to you in private?" Red Hood called behind me, I turned and eyed him suspiciously "Why do you need to speak with me in private, Red Hood?" "I just need to speak with you for just a moment, that's all I want" "Catwoman, I advise you not to go, Red Hood is a dangerous criminal" Damian piped up.

Damian was right, since I hadn't seen Red Hood for 5 years, he could be a very shifty guy and my mind was agreeing with Damian not to go with Red Hood, but I still wanted to know what was so important that Red Hood wanted to talk to me in private about.

"Shut it, Robin, no one was talking to you" Red Hood hissed "Robin, notify GCPD of the criminals, and head back to Nighwing and Red Robin, I will meet up with you all momentarily"

"But Catw-"

"Robin, I am going to be fine, you forget who you're talking to" I smiled "Go ahead, I'll join up with you and the rest shortly, if I am in danger, you will be the first to know, I give you my word"

"Very well, Catwoman, I trust your judgment, I will see you soon then" I nodded and tousled his hair a bit and gave him a brief hug before he jumped on his motorcycle and sped off

"Where did you wish to speak to me? Surely, you don't want to speak here out in the open?"

"Meet me at this address in 20 minutes" Red Hood then gave me a tattered old card with the address of his usual hangout.

"Very well, see you there momentarily"

I jumped onto my bike and drove off to meet up with him

_'What on earth do you want with me after 5 long years, Jason?'_

When I reached his hangout, I climbed out of my bike and made sure I was well equipped if anything dangerous should ever occur. I looked around to make sure I wasn't being watched, and I knocked on the door and Jason, not Red Hood opened the door to greet me "Come in" Jason said, allowing me to enter the house.

"I ask that whatever you wish to speak to me about, you make it quick, I have things I need to do"

"Avery, cut the 'sophisticated woman' shit out, it doesn't suit you"

"Who gave you the right to use my given name freely!?"

"Why are you acting so cold and distant towards me?" Oh, my patience was wearing thin very fast "Very well, you used my given name, so I shall use yours, Jason Todd"

"Avery, I wanted you to come here because I wanted to say I'm sorry"

Oh. Hell. No!

What little patience I had left went out the window, and the bitch in me became loose

"Sorry? After 5 fucking years you want to say 'Sorry'!?" I looked at him with such anger and rage, I almost wanted to beat him and cut his dick off "You have some nerve to ask me to come here after five long years just to say you're sorry, Jason Todd, give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat your ass right here and now!?"

"I know I'm wrong for leaving you alone that night, but I just had to leave, I had so much anger towards Bruce"

I angrily removed my domino mask so he could see the resentment in my eyes "Leave my father out of this, Jason" "Avery, I wanted to call, I wanted to apologize, I did, but I got caught up in-"

"No, no excuse you give will exempt you for walking away from me, you said it yourself that night that you didn't love me, so I let you go, and I've been doing fine since then, you know why? Because my brothers have been there for me, they were the ones who consoled me when you left, and I did the same for them when they lost their brother that night"

"They are still my brothers, Avery"

"Weren't you the one who said that you were no longer a Wayne?"

"A last name doesn't mean shit, Avery, and you know it, I still miss those guys, I really do" I tried to compose myself, I couldn't let him see my cry after 5 years of absence.

"I cannot speak for my brothers, I do not know how they feel about you after all these years"

"Avery, tell me the truth, you still love me, don't you?" My eyes went wide, No! He cannot be asking me this, not now!

"You want me to be honest with you?" I asked him "Yes, please" I never lied to myself and I wasn't gonna start now

"Yes"

"Really?" He wondered, I raised my eyebrow at him "Yes, really, but just because I still love you doesn't mean I will forgive you that easily"

"But, Av-" "No 'buts' Jason, you asked me a question, and I answered you"

"I wish things would've been different, Avery" Jason sighed "Yeah well..." I shrugged "Am I free to go, Jason?" He looked at me, then nodded "Yeah, you can go" with shoulders slumped "Good, well, I can't say it was great to see you, I sincerely hope I never see you again, Jason Todd, so once again, goodbye and good riddance"

"I never meant to hurt you, Avery" Jason whispered "Well you did, Jason, you hurt me really bad, and I don't think I can forgive you for what you did to me and my family"

And for the first time, I was the one who walked away from him and didn't look back. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: It's All In The Past Now

Once I was outside Jason's safe house, my communication device beeped.

"Catwoman speaking"

"Catwoman, this is Nightwing, Robin told us that you and him ran into the Red Hood?" I sighed "Yes, we did" "Why are you with him then, Catwoman, I recall you telling us to sever ties with him?" "I wanted closure, Nightwing, I wanted to finally put the past behind me, and I did, after tonight, I will no longer see Red Hood again"

"You're making a big mistake, Catwoman" said a voice behind me, making me jump up in surprise, I turned around and saw Starfire standing in front of me.

"Nightwing, I'll talk to you later, I have some unexpected company, Catwoman out" I stared at Star with such annoyance.

"It's rude to sneak up on people like that, Starfire" I grumbled, trying to put my domino mask back on "I heard what you and Red Hood were talking about" she said, a hurt expression on her face, "Why am I not surprised?" I tried not to let my frustration show, but I couldn't help it if Starfire was the kind of person that made me want to rip my hair out.

"He told me why he left you and your brothers, why he walked out on you" Starfire explained "And while I don't agree with his logic for leaving, I don't quite blame him either, in a way he did feel like he was walking in his brothers' shadow, after he was resurrected, he felt like Bruce Wayne no longer saw him as a partner, but as a failure"

My hands balled up into fists, "I advise that you do not bring my father into this, Tamaranean, I don't take too kindly to people who besmirch my father's name"

"I truly wish that your family and Jason would reconcile, it hurts me to see him in so much pain, even if he tries to hide it"

I actually laughed at this "It hurts you to see Jason in pain, but yet you didn't feel a fucking thing when you broke my brother's heart when you left him at the altar the day of your wedding, did you?" Kor'i's face went pale when I mentioned my brother "This isn't about Nightwing!" shouted Starfire, I just smiled smugly at her "You're right, this isn't about my oldest brother, but I am done with this conversation, so I bid you farewell, Tamaranean, say hello to Roy for me"

"What the fuck's going on here?" Damn it all!

"Jason, what are you doing out here?" asked Starfire "Well, I was trying to have some time to think, but I kept hearing voices outside, so I decided to check it out"

"No need to, Red Hood, me and Starfire were just about done having a little heart to heart, right Star?" Star just sighed in defeat and nodded "Yes, we were just finishing up this conversation"

"See? Well, I'm off, goodbye!"

"Damn it, Avery!" Jason then ran towards me and threw his arms around me before I could even turn around.

"Please, Avery, don't say goodbye, just don't" Jason whispered to me, I pushed him off me with what strength I had "You don't want me to say goodbye, yet you said that to me five years ago and never came back, you're such a fucking hypocrite, Red Hood!" I then punched him hard in the nose, causing Starfire to activate her starbolts

"Stay away from Red Hood, Catwoman, or you'll be forcing my hand"

"You lay a hand on Catwoman and you'll end up a headless Tamaranean" spoke a voice behind Starfire, It was Damian, his sword aimed at Starfire's throat.

"Catwoman, are you ok?" Dick and Tim suddenly appeared from above us, surrounding me "I'm fine, just finishing up some business" I hissed.

"What happened?" wondered Tim looking at Jason's bloody nose "Red Hood forgot that no one touches Catwoman and gets away scot-free" I grinned "Robin, I thought I told you I was doing ok" "I know, Catwoman, and I apologize, but you had said that you were only going to be gone for a moment, and it's been past one hour, I told Red Robin and Nightwing that I was getting worried and we came to get you" "Thank you for your concern, Robin"

"It's been too long, Nightwing" Dick then turned to face Starfire, who was helping Jason clean up his blood "Yeah, not long enough though, I'm afraid" spat Dick.

"Hey, guys, long time no see" Jason greeted, holding his nose with his fingers to prevent the blood from flowing out

Not one of the guys spoke to him, Damian looked away, Tim just stared at the ground, and Dick was too busy trying not to look at either Jason or Starfire.

"So you guys are turning on me, too?" I rolled my eyes at him "For once, stop playing the victim Red Hood, it's not fitting on you"

"We didn't turn on you, Red Hood, you turned on us" Tim spoke with such remorse, surprising me and my other two brothers.

"Look who finally decided to get a backbone" Jason taunted in a bitter tone, causing Damian to kick him in the shin "Don't talk to my brother, Red Hood, unless you're allowed"

"Fuck you, Robin"

"No thanks, I don't swing that way"

"ENOUGH!" Everyone turned to look at me with shock in their eyes

"Guys, let's go, I'm tired, Robin, please take my bike with you, Nightwing, I'll be riding with you and Red Robin"

"So that's it?" said Jason facing us, Starfire behind him "You're just giving up on me just like that?"

"We didn't give up on you, Red Hood, and to be completely honest, we never will give up on you, but we are getting so damned sick and tired of being the only ones trying to patch things up, it was always a one-sided effort with you, we did all we could to help you make amends with dad, but you'd make up one excuse after another, well, we're done, you've got no one to blame but yourself"

I honestly didn't expect Nightwing to be the one to snap, but he proved me wrong, the words he spoke showed so much emotion and disappointment, it broke my heart, not for Jason, but for Dick.

"Let's go" I ordered, ushering the guys away, Tim shot his grappling gun and shot up into the air, Nightwing held me by tight by the waist, took out his grappling hook gun, aimed, and shot it up, lifting me and Nightwing out of Red Hood's sight.

When we reached the top of the building where Tim's jet was, I finally let myself go and cried, hugging Dick tightly as I just let it all go, all the anger and hurt.

Dick took off his mask and held me in his arms as I just cried like a baby, soothing me with words of comfort. He then lifted me in his arms as he carried me to the jet bridal-style.

"I shouldn't be crying, Dick, I thought I was able to move on"

"Don't worry about it now, Avery, it's all in the past now" I looked up at the night sky as Tim drove us home  
>Dick was right, it was all in the past now, and I was determined to leave it there. <p>


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: Sing Your Worries Away

**A/N The Lyrics To "Bleed Out" Belong To Blue October And Only Them**

When we finally arrived at the Batcave, I removed my mask and headed off to my room, trying to ignore Dick, Tim and Damian.

"Avery, are you alright?" I faced Damian, still in his Robin suit, sans mask "I will be, baby bird, I will be" "I know that the events of tonight were a bit stressing, but I think that you're doing the right thing in isolating Jason, maybe this way, he'll learn his lesson"

"I hope you're right, Damian"

"Avery, I was hoping that we could talk before we called it a night" said Dick as I was making my way to the stairs.

"Dick, can we please talk tomorrow? I'm exhausted, mentally and physically, I just wanna take a shower and go to bed" He sighed and tried to speak, but the words failed him "Dickie, please, I know you wanna talk about what happened tonight, but I don't, if you wanna talk about it tomorrow, I'll gladly talk about it, but not now" Dick smiled at me and nodded "You're right, it's been a rough night, we all need some well-deserved rest"

"Thank you, Dickie" "Goodnight, Avery" he then grabbed me by the waist and hugged me tight, I closed my eyes and threw my arms around his neck, reciprocating the hug with equal force.

When we parted, Dickie kissed my forehead and made his way to his bedroom.

Once I entered my room, I took off my suit made my way to the bathroom to take a shower, I turned the hot water and let the water wash over me, helping me calm down.

I washed my hair, rinsed myself off, and finally turned off the water and stepped out, towel covering my body, once I changed into my night clothes, I jumped into bed and knocked out for the night.

The next day, I woke up to a knock on my door, "Come In" I called, and Tim came into my room "Wake up and get dressed, Avery, it's noon and Dick wants us to give Alfred a break and eat a late brunch out of the manor" I slowly nodded and got out of bed, but not before giving Tim a hug and a kiss "I love you, baby brother"

Tim smiled brightly at me and kissed my cheek "I love you too, big sis"

"Get out, I gotta get dressed" Tim laughed and walked out of the room

I brushed my teeth then straightened my hair, and finally I did my make-up and put on a pair of blue skinny jeans and a plain black shirt.

Then I finally grabbed my sunglasses, phone and purse then made my way downstairs.

"Rise and shine, kitten!" Dick greeted, messing up my hair "Damn it, Dickie, I straightened it" I groaned, fixing my unruly hair "Well, I figured that we should all go out for breakfast and let Agent A sleep in" "Very well, Grayson, where do you suggest we go?" asked Damian, rubbing his eyes "I say we go to Harry's, their brunch is awesome" suggested Dick "Let's go then" I replied.

We were out the door when Dick stepped behind and pulled me aside "I know I said that we would talk about what happened last night with Jason, but I decided to let it go, it's not worth putting more salt in the wound"

"Thank you, Dick, it means a lot to me"

"Anything for my sister"

When we arrived at Harry's, we were surprised to find it quite a bit empty, with hardly any customers, we got a table and sat down and waited for our waiter.

"Man, I can't wait to eat me some food" Tim happily chirped, the waiter finally arrived and gave us our menus, we gave the waiter our orders and drinks.

"So, what should we do after we eat, I don't plan on going back to the manor, I wanna enjoy myself with my brothers" I said "We could go to the karaoke bar down the street" Dick suggested "Grayson, you can't seriously suggest we go to a karaoke bar" Damian scoffed "I think it could be fun to go and karaoke" I agreed "I don't care what we do as long as we're out of the house" Tim said

"Then it's settled, we are going to karaoke after eating"

A moment later, our food and drinks arrived and we dug in, trying to have a good time as a family, making each other laugh and poke fun at each other, I was beyond happy seeing my family so united and close, but I knew it wasn't the same without Jason, but I wasn't gonna let him ruin our good time.

When we finally finished eating, Dick payed the bill and tipped the waiter, then we got into Dick's car and drove to 'The Wild Siren" Karaoke bar.

As we arrived, we all got out and walked inside the bar, and we could tell it was quite full of already drunk people and bad singers "Just because I'm of age, doesn't mean I feel comfortable being here" Damian grumbled "Don't worry, we'll just be sitting down making fun of the drunk singers" Tim teased

We got a table and just sat watching people in the karaoke station make asses of themselves.

When the last person up finished murdering the final verse to Katy Perry's 'Hot N' Cold' the manager of the bar got up to greet the customers.

"Hello and welcome to 'The Wild Siren' Karaoke and Bar" everyone clapped and whistled "I appreciate you all coming out today to have yourselves a good time, and before we keep the party going, I just wanted to let you know that in a few minutes we will begin our Karaoke contest, anyone who would like to enter come up here and we will give you a list of songs for you to choose, and you will choose only one song to sing, whoever sings the best, we will reward you with $200 cash, now who would like to come up here and compete for some cash!?"

At first, no one walked up or raised their hands, until Dick took my hand and lifted it "My sister will compete!"

My eyes went wide "Dick, are you crazy?" I hissed "No way in hell will I compete up there"

"Come on, Avery, it'll be fun" Tim replied, egging Dick on

"Please, Avery, who cares if you don't win the money, just do it for fun" Dick pleaded

I looked at him and sighed in defeat "Fine, I'll do it, but you owe big next time"

"Deal" I got up and walked up to the karaoke station "It seems that we have our first contestant, please state your name"

"Avery Kyle"

"A round of applause for Ms. Kyle, anyone else wants to follow in her steps and come up here?" cheered the manager, only two people got up and came up to the station.

"Well, only three brave people have come up here, so we will begin the competition, my assistant, Keith will hand you a list of songs and you will choose only one, once you have chosen your song, I will think of a number between 1 and 50, if you choose the correct number, you will be the first contestant to sing, so I will let you look over the song list for five minutes and then you'll tell us what song you chose, good luck folks"  
>I looked at the list of songs, trying to find a song to sing that would fit me, but all I saw was upbeat, sappy pop songs, when I turned the page I saw the name of a song I hadn't listened to in a while "Bleed Out' by Blue October, it was my favorite song when I was a teenager, and I was kind of glad I found it, I decided to sing it.<p>

I looked up, looking for Dick and the boys, but instead of finding my brothers I saw Jason, Roy and Kor'i in a corner booth, Jason's piercing gaze directed at me.

Damn it all to hell! I thought last night would be the last time I saw him, but it seems that the fates were conspiring against me, laughing at my discomfort.

"Time's up!" the bar manager called out "Well, have our contestants found their preferred song?" I nodded at him and gave him the song list and pointed to the song I wanted to sing, the other contestants doing the same.

"Well, contestants, please give me a number between 1 and 50, whoever chooses the correct number or gets close to the number I have in mind, they will go first"

"I think it's 30"

The second contestant, a tall, balding man, spoke next "15"

The last contestant, a young, blonde girl said "40"

"Well, the number I chose was 29, so, Ms. Kyle, you were close, so you will sing first, what song will you sing for us today?"

"The song is called 'Bleed Out' by Blue October"

"Good choice, DJ, do you have the song ready for our contestant?" The DJ looked up at us and gave us a thumbs up

"Alright, Ms. Kyle, the stage is yours"

I took the microphone and the song started up

_Close my eyes_  
><em>Feel you sigh<em>  
><em>A desperate aching wonder<em>  
><em>Will you ever, ever let me off my knees<em>

_Wide awake_  
><em>Like a dream<em>  
><em>As simple as a secret<em>  
><em>Being told, told to everyone but me<em>

_Will I_  
><em>Bleed out<em>  
><em>I gave it all<em>  
><em>But you can't stop taking from me<em>  
><em>And way down I know<em>  
><em>You know where to cut me<em>  
><em>With your eyes closed<em>  
><em>Bleed out<em>  
><em>It won't be long<em>  
><em>Til this heart stops beating<em>  
><em>So don't let me<em>  
><em>Bleed out here alone<em>  
><em>Hear my plea<em>  
><em>You won't hear my plea<em>

While I sang, I made the mistake of looking at Jason, who was trying not to tear his sight away from me, I was dedicating this song to him after all, I sang from the heart, and I knew in my heart that he knew the song was about him

_Sudden rain_  
><em>Coming down<em>  
><em>It all comes back to me<em>  
><em>Waking up, falling down<em>

_Another day_  
><em>Come undone<em>  
><em>I keep trying to heal your pain<em>  
><em>In return, you cut me over and over<em>  
><em>One more time and I will<em>

_Bleed out_  
><em>I gave it all<em>  
><em>But you can't stop taking from me<em>  
><em>And way down I know<em>  
><em>You know where to cut me<em>  
><em>With your eyes closed<em>  
><em>Bleed out<em>  
><em>It won't be long<em>  
><em>Til my heart stops beating<em>  
><em>So don't let me<em>  
><em>Bleed alone<em>

_I finally feel like I'm supposed to be, yeah, oh_  
><em>Don't you take this moment away from me<em>  
><em>But before you kill me wont you<em>  
><em>Wont you look back in my eyes and watch me<em>

_Bleed out_  
><em>I gave it all<em>  
><em>But you can't stop taking from me<em>  
><em>And way down I know<em>  
><em>You know where to cut me<em>  
><em>With your eyes closed<em>  
><em>Bleed out<em>  
><em>It won't be long<em>  
><em>Til my heart stops beating<em>  
><em>So don't leave me don't let me<em>  
><em>Bleed out here alone<em>  
><em>Hear my plea<em>

_Bleed out_  
><em>I gave it all<em>  
><em>But you can't stop taking from me<em>  
><em>And way down I know<em>  
><em>You know where to cut me<em>  
><em>With your eyes closed<em>  
><em>Bleed out<em>  
><em>It won't be long<em>  
><em>Til this heart stops beating<em>  
><em>So don't leave me don't let me<em>  
><em>Bleed out here alone<em>

When the song ended, everyone was clapping and cheering wildly, I weakly smiled at the crowd, thanking them, then made my way back to my brothers, the manager then announced the next contestant.

As I sat down next to Dick, they all stared at me in shock "What?"

"Wow, Avery, I didn't know you could sing, you have an awesome voice, girl" Dick praised me, making me blush

"Thanks, Dick"

"You were great, Avery" "Thanks, Tim"

"Excellent voice, Avery" Damian said

"I saw Jason here while I was singing" the boys went silent

"I know, we saw him as soon as you went up to sing" said Dick

"But let's not worry about that now, let's enjoy the rest of the day as a family, we won't let someone ruin our good time" I replied, trying to lighten the mood

"I agree, Avery" Damian put in

"So, Ave, how'd it feel to sing in front of a lot of people?" teased Tim

"It was nerve-wracking, but I had fun nonetheless"

"Did it feel like you were singing your worries away?" asked Dick

I smiled at him "Yep, it sure did" Dick grinned and I leaned into him and placed my head on his shoulder, feeling truly happy and at peace, even if the cause of my problems was only a few feet away. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Give It A Few Months

**A/N: The Next Song Avery Will Sing Is "Bleeding Out", The Song Belongs To Imagine Dragons, Not Me, So Don't Sue! Also, I'm Considering Creating A Love Triangle With Avery And Jason, But Who Should I Include In It? Another OC Of Mine Or My Favorite Choice, Dick Grayson? Leave Your Answer In The Reviews, And I'll Take Them Into Consideration, So Please Read & Review! I Really Want To Hear Your Input On This Story As Well :)**

**Love and Batman **

**Lucero 3**

**Enjoy!**

After all the contestants had sang their chosen song, the time had come for the bar manager to announce the winner, so he had all the contestants come up to the stage.

"Alright, now all our volunteers have sang, and it is time to pick our $200 winner!" said the manager as the crowd erupted into cheers

"Alright, our winner will be determined by how loud the applause for our contestants get, so, please give a round of applause for the lovely Ms. Avery Kyle" and I shit you not, the crowd busted into cheers and applause so loud, I thought I was gonna go deaf, I saw Dick and the boys standing on the barstools clapping wildly.

"Wow, I almost went deaf, haha, next is..."

I lost interest in what the manager was saying, and I focused my attention on Jason, why am I doing this to myself? I thought, I wanted to forget him, move on and be happy with my life, but it seemed that things weren't gonna go how I wanted them to, he was taking a sip of his beer while Roy was flirting with some random drunk chick and Kor'i was nowhere to be seen, like I cared, though.

I was brought out of my reverie when the manager raised my hand and declared me the winner of the contest, Dick, Tim and Damian came up to the stage to hug me and celebrate my win.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kyle! Now, as the winner, not only do you win the $200, but you must also sing a "victory song" it can be any song you choose and our DJ will play it for you, do you know what song you wish to sing?"

I nodded and smiled "I would like to sing 'Bleeding Out' by Imagine Dragons'"

"What a beautiful song! DJ is Ms. Kyle's song ready?" The DJ gave a thumbs-up

"Before we start, Ms. Kyle, is there anyone you'd like to dedicate this wonderful song to?"  
>I looked at my brothers and smiled warmly at them, they smiled back "My brothers, Richard, Tim and Damian, they mean the world to me"<p>

The guys turned red and grinned sheepishly

"Very well, here's our winner Avery Kyle with 'Bleeding Out' enjoy!"

The music began and the boys had gone back to their seats, except for Dick, he stood next to me with an arm over around my shoulder, cheering me on.

_I'm bleeding out, said if the last thing that I do, is to bring you down, I'll bleed out for you_  
><em>So I peel my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes and I take it in, and I'm bleeding<em>  
><em>Out, I'm bleeding out for you (For you)<em>

_When the day has come, and I've lost my way around, and the seasons stop and hide beneath _  
><em>The ground, when the sky turns gray and everything is screaming, I will reach inside, just to <em>  
><em>Find my heart is beating<em>

_You tell me to hold on, oh you tell me to hold on, but innocence is gone, and what was right _  
><em>Is wrong...<em>

_'Cause I'm bleeding out, said if the last thing that I do, is to bring you down, I'll bleed out for You, so I peel my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes, and I take it in, and I'm bleeding Out, I'm bleeding out, I'm bleeding out for you (For you)_

_When the hour is nigh and hopelessness is sinking in, and the wolves all cry to feel they're not Worth hollering, when your eyes are red, and emptiness is all you know, with the darkness fed, I Will be your scarecrow_

_You tell me to hold on, oh you tell me to hold on, but innocence is gone, and what was right _  
><em>Is wrong...<em>

_'Cause I'm bleeding out, said if the last thing that I do, is to bring you down, I'll bleed out for You, so I peel my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes, and I take it in, and I'm bleeding Out, I'm bleeding out, I'm bleeding out for you (For you)_

_I'm bleeding out for you (for you)_  
><em>I'm bleeding out for you (for you)<em>  
><em>I'm bleeding out for you (for you)<em>  
><em>I'm bleeding out for you<em>

_'Cause I'm bleeding out, said if the last thing that I do, is to bring you down, I'll bleed out for You, so I peel my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes, and I take it in, and I'm bleeding Out, I'm bleeding out, I'm bleeding out for you (For you)_

The crowd was cheering and clapping when I was done singing Dick AND the manager were even tearing up a bit when he had come up to give me my money, I thanked everyone then Dick and I made our way back to our seats

"I gotta get that song on my iPod when we get home" said Dick as he ordered me a soda "I can send it to you" I said as I ate one of Tim's cheesy fries, everything went back to normal, we ate a bit, when my soda came in I drank some of it before deciding it was time to head back home and get ready for our patrol.

It was a bit of a journey to get to the exit of the bar, but we made it without little effort, once we were outside, we made our way into the parking lot, and what we saw when we got there made my blood boil in rage, in the parking lot stood Jason, making out with none other than Kor'i, I looked at Dick, who had a look of pure disappointment in his eyes, I recovered from my momentary shock and kept walking, we were almost to the car when Kor'i noticed us and shoved Jason off of her

"What the hell, Star?" Jason hissed, Kor'i just looked at us and pointed at me, making him look over

"Wow, Jason talk about a downgrade" I spat, trying to make every syllable drip with venom "It's not what it looks like, Dick" explained Kor'i, blushing furiously "No need to Star, you have nothing to explain to me" Dick spoke "You're not jealous are you, Avery?" I almost wanted to tackle Jason to the ground and begin to beat the holy shit out of him, but I kept calm.

"Seriously, Todd? You really think I would be jealous of an alien?"

"This alien has a name, Avery"

"Congratulations"

"Avery, let's go, don't waste your breath on them" pleaded Tim, trying to pull me towards the car

"Yes, Avery, get in the car, Jason only deals with women not little girls"

"Star, that's enough!" Oh how I loathed to be called a 'little girl'

Jason had warned Star to keep her mouth shut, but it was too late, I shook off Dick's and Tim's grips and I speared Kor'i to the ground, delivering punch after punch, not giving her a chance to attack, Jason tried to get me off her, but I quickly delivered a punch to his nose, making him fall over in pain, letting me continue my assault on Starfire, all I could think about was taking out my aggression on the Tamaranean below me.

I was nowhere near done when Dick and Damian finally lifted me off of Kor'i

"Dick, let me go, I'm not done yet, damnit!"

"That's enough, Avery, she got enough of an ass kicking" Dick uttered, pointing at a bloodied and bruised Kor'i.

"I don't care, she deserves to get her ass kicked"

"Oh my God, look at Jason, I think you broke his nose!" Damian guffawed, not hiding his loud laughter, I couldn't help but feel good knowing I was the one that did that to him.

"Damian, that's not funny at all" Dick chastised

"Leave him alone, Dick" I defended

Kor'i slowly began to get up and crawl over to Jason "You will pay for this, Avery" she threatened, wiping the blood off her face

"I'll gladly be waiting for ass-kicking number 2" I smugly said turning around, walking to the car

The guys followed suit and walked towards the car, but not before we heard Jason say something to us...

"I'm not gonna give up on you, Avery, I won't stop until I earn your forgiveness"

I grinned and without turning to him I answered him "Give it a few months, Jason, you might change your mind" and continued to walk to the car.

**A/N: So, how'd I do? Please let me know by giving me your review and please tell me who I should include in the love triangle I want to create in future chapters, an OC or Dick? Let me know! I will try to upload a new chapter tomorrow if I'm not too tired from work lol**

**Whoever reviews my story will receive a shout out!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: The Right Decision

The ride back home was very quiet, until Damian decided to talk about the damage I had caused to Jason's nose.

"He looked like he wanted to cry" he laughed, earning a glare from Dick "lay off him, Dick, he deserved it, he was making out with your former fiance, did you really think I'd let him get away with that?"

"I'm over her, Avery, she can rot in hell for all I care, you didn't need to kick her ass" Dick chastised.

"Grayson" said Damian "I would have thought that seeing Avery beat her to a bloody pulp would give you pleasure for what she did to you at your wedding" Dick sighed heavily "Look, i'm not gonna deny that what you did to Kor'i was highly entertaining to watch, but what did you gain from it, Ava?" I hated it when he used my nickname to reprimand me.

"I gained revenge, Dick, revenge for not doing anything about Jason leaving, revenge for him breaking my heart and for destroying my father's pride, I didn't exactly take it out on Jason himself, but at least I took it out on someone, and I'm glad it was Kor'i, that alien whore had it coming"

"You almost killed her, Avery!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him "She's alive, ain't she? She threatened me that I would pay for what I did to her and Jason" then I saw the guilty look in his eyes and my own hazel brown eyes widened, "Don't tell me you still love her!?"

"NO! God no, I just think you went too far taking out your frustrations on her" "I don't know if you saw, but she was making out with the guy I'm still pretty much in love with, I had a reason to beat her ass"

"Look, let's just drop the subject, it's 4:30 p.m., we still have 2 and a half hours before we go home and train for tonight's patrol, anybody in the mood to do something?"

"I'm sorry guys, but I just wanna go home" said Tim for the first time since the incident "It's ok, Timmy, I wanna go home too, it's been a long ass day" I grinned, trying to lift his mood up, I knew that this whole situation was taking a toll on him, and the whole situation with me making them cut ties with him probably made things worse with him.

"Hey Avery, can you help me on a case I've been working on?"

"Sure Tim, when we get home, I'll help you out as best as I can"

"Thank you"

It got quiet once again, until Damian began to laugh again about Jason's broken nose, and this time I began to laugh along with him, Tim was trying to hide his smile, and Dick was serious as always.

When we finally arrived to the manor, Alfred was already waiting for us at the front door.  
>"How was your day, young ones?"<p>

"We had a good time, Alfred, and yours?"

"Very quiet, Miss Avery"

"Alfred, me and Avery are going to my room to investigate a case"

"Very well, Master Timothy"

As I went to Timothy's room, my phone began to ring

Hey wait, I've got a new complaint  
>Forever in debt to your priceless advice<p>

"Hello? This is Avery Wayne"

"Good afternoon, Avery"

Damn it, why did I forget to check my caller ID?

"Hello, Starfire, to what do I owe this call? Surely you must still be recovering from the beating I gave you"

"I am a quick healer, but this is not about me, I was sent on Jason's behalf to set up a meeting between him and your brothers" "Now why would he do something like that?"

"He wants to talk with all of you about something, unfinished business, I believe he said"

"We have no unfinished business to talk about, now, if you're done playing secretary, I have something I need to do"

"You will not give Jason a chance to explain himself?"

"We gave him a chance, and he threw it away 5 years ago, what makes you think I am the kind of person who will give him a second chance? I'm not sure what my brothers would say, but I am saying this on my behalf"

"I know you will because I know you still love him, and he loves you and his brothers"

My heart dropped, tears brimming in my eyes, no way in hell could he still love me, maybe he still loves Dick and the boys, but he made it clear he didn't love me anymore

"If this is some sick little game you're trying to play, Star, I will make you wish I had killed you earlier"

"This is no game, Avery, all he wants to do is talk, that's all, just hear him out, if you don't like what he has to say, you can walk away"

I placed my hand on my forehead and sighed "No tricks?" I asked her

"None whatsoever"

I was going to regret doing this

"When does he wanna meet up with us?"

"Tomorrow, at 2 p.m., he wants all of you there"

"Very well, I will speak to my brothers about this, and I will let Jason and only Jason know what we have decided"

"I understand, when can he call back?"

"In 2 hours, I will speak to my brothers right away about this, and I expect for him to call"

"Alright, goodbye, and Avery?"

"Yes?"

"I'll be waiting for Round 2"

"You know where to find me" I replied, pressing the 'end' button

I took a deep breath and tried to relax, I hated how I was going back on my word about cutting our bonds with Jason, but something kept telling me that I should go tomorrow and see him, as much as I didn't want to, but this didn't include just me, this had my brothers involved as well.

I went into Tim's room to break the news "Timmy, I need you to come down to the living room with me, something came up and I need to talk to all of you about it"

"Yeah ok"

"You go ahead, I'll go get Dick and Damian"

As we left his room, I felt tears pricking my eyes, that bastard still had a hold of my heart and I was too weak to fight back, as much as I hated admitting it to myself, a part of me wanted him to come back to the manor, so things could go back to the way they were, but it was all a foolish child's dream.

I knocked on Damian's door and he opened up "Damian, please come downstairs to the living room, something came up that I need to talk to you and your brothers about"  
>"Alright"<p>

As me and Damian headed downstairs, Alfred stood at the end of the stairs

"Alfred, something came up, we will be in the living room, could you please bring me some of my father's strongest liquor, what I'll be talking about will require a strong drink"

Alfred's eyes went wide, but he consented "As you wish, Miss Avery"

"Thank you, Alfred"

Once me and Damian reached the living room, I was relieved to see Tim and Damian waiting for us already.

"What's going on, Ava?" asked Dick

"Starfire called me" was all I said, trying to keep my hands from shaking violently

"What did she want?"

"She said she was calling on Jason's behalf"

"He just doesn't know when to take no for an answer, does he?" hissed Damian

I was about to answer when Alfred came to give me my drink

"Thank you, Agent A"

I took a swig of the strong beverage and spoke again "She says that Jason wants to talk to all of us, me, Dick, Tim and Damian, he wants to meet up tomorrow"

"Why?" pondered Tim

"From what I was told by Starfire, he wants to talk to us about some unfinished business he has with us"

"And what did you tell her Avery?" asked Damian

"I told her that I would talk to all of you about it and that we would give Jason himself a decision in 2 hours when he calls us back"

"I don't see any harm in seeing him if he only wants to speak with us" said Dick

"You would say that, Grayson"

"Well, Avery what do you think we should do?"

"I don't want to see him at all or hear what he has to say, but this doesn't involve just me, it involves the three of you as well, so it's not just my decision alone to make"

"I say we go see what Todd has to say to us, but we shouldn't go unarmed, he may be my brother, but I still don't trust him" Damian remarked

"He wouldn't hurt us, Damian" growled Dick, giving him a glare, Damian returned Dick's glare with one of his more intimidating stares

"Alright, so you all agree to go see him tomorrow?" I ask

"I say we go" Tim says "But we should also take Damian's advice and go well protected, we don't know what he's capable of"

I took one last swig of my drink

"Ok, so it's been decided, tomorrow we will meet up with Jason Todd, I hope, for all our sakes, that we've made the right decision because I'm telling you right now, I'm already starting to regret it"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Dick & Avery

I asked the boys again about their decision to see Jason just to make sure it was what they wanted to do

"Yes, Avery, we'll go see him, and it's like Starfire said, if we don't like what he has to say, we can just walk away, no tricks" said Dick

"You trust Kor'i too much, Grayson, while I don't, she's no to be trusted, the only people I truly trust are the three of you"

"I'm not too happy about this, I could just skip out and send the three of you to see him, but I don't trust Jason OR Kor'i" I sure as hell wasn't gonna send my brothers to see that ass on their own, I don't care if they can handle themselves, as long as I'm around, it's my job to look after them, I still had a hard time putting my faith in Dick, seeing he still believes in Jason, and knowing Dick, I knew he'd let Jason walk all over him if he allowed it, but I damn well wasn't gonna let that happen.

"Dick, for once try to see things from our perspective, Jason left us, just because he couldn't handle the fact that father won't kill Joker he threw a bitch fit and walked out on us, now, I understand that he's still family, as much as I hate admitting it, yes, he still is a part of this family, our dad still sees him as Jason Todd-Wayne, and I completely get that, but I cannot forgive him just as easily, you probably can, but I can't, and before you ask, no, I'm not speaking out of spite or anger, I'm speaking out of a broken heart, and not my heart, our dad's heart. He had plenty of time to make a call our way, just to let us know he's ok and that he was with The Outlaws, but no, he didn't do that, did he? I couldn't care less if he didn't wanna talk to me, but he could've called just to check on the three of you, to see how you were all doing, but he didn't do that either, he hasn't even called daddy to let him know he's ok, you can be as forgiving as much as you want, Dick, but I won't, not anymore"

"Well Grayson, do you have a rebuttal?" asked Damian

"No" sighed Dick "I don't, you're right, Avery, you made your point crystal clear"

"I don't have a problem with us seeing Jason tomorrow, I'm just worried about what he wants to tell us, to be completely honest, I am afraid of what he has to say, I don't want to breakdown and ruin a possible chance of getting of you guys getting on good terms with him, I know I wanted us to cut off ties with Jason, but I take it back, if you guys decide to have a relationship with him, I won't stop you, it's my job to support all of your choices, no matter what they are"

"Avery, we won't see him if it bothers you this much" said Tim putting his hand on my shoulder

"Thank you for your consideration, Timmy, but this just isn't about me, he wants to see all of us, and he will see all of us"

The guys remained quiet, not knowing what to say, even Damian was speechless, he usually had a smart retort, but said nothing.  
>"Guys, it's decided, now we just wait for Jason's call" I then sat on the love seat next to Dick<p>

"Avery, may we please go now, we have to get ready for patrol in a few hours" said Tim

"Yeah Tim, go ahead"

Damian and Tim left, leaving only Dick and I in the living room

"You ok, Avery?" wondered Dick, throwing an arm around me

"No, i'm not, when will Jason leave us alone, Dick? I'm tired of talking about him, seeing him, dreaming about him, it's driving me insane, it's like a never-ending nightmare I can't wake up from"

"You have us, Ava, you know you're not in this alone, me and the boys are in this too, think how they feel knowing their brother left them behind"

"That's what hurts the most, I accepted the fact that he wants nothing with me, but he left all of you too"

"We know, it does hurt, but we got over it and moved on, Jason will always be our brother, but like you said at the very beginning, we can't keep being the ones asking him to come back home, he has to put effort as well"

"I know" I then threw my arms around Dick's neck and just embraced him, placing my head on the crook of his neck, and he returned the gesture by placing his arms on my waist tightly, putting his chin on the top of my head.

"You know, you can cry if you want to, Ava"

"I already started before you said it" I sniffed, crying into his shirt

He kissed the top of my head and I continued to cry as Dick whispered words of comfort to me, as he did so, a thought had popped into my head

'If I had never loved Jason, would I feel something towards Dick?'

Dick always made me feel safe, secure, and loved, he always my happiness and the happiness of his brothers before his own.

He was that selfless, and even when Jason turned his back on us, Dick always remained faithful to his little brother, because that's what Jason is to Dick, his little brother.

But did Dick feel something for me? I wanted to know

"Dick" I said as I looked up at him "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Avery, you can ask me anything" He replied as he gently wiped the remaining tears away from my eyes

"Do you... I mean, have you, you know, felt something towards me, you know besides sibling love?"

"Avery..."

"I know that right now isn't the right time to be asking you this, but I was curious to know, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, bu-"

"Avery, I fell in love with you the moment Selina brought you home to Bruce"

My eyes went wide in shock, then looked down in shame, If I had only known how Dick truly felt about me earlier...

Dick smiled warmly at me, sensing my guilt "Don't fell bad, Avery, I knew you fell in love with Jason the moment you saw him, so I kept my distance, although, just because you loved Jason didn't mean I was going to love you less, you're still my family, and I won't ever forget that"

"I sincerely wish I could have given you at least a chance, Dick, but Jason-"

"Shhh, Avery, you don't need to explain or justify yourself to me, I understand completely, I just want you to know that I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens"

"Dickie..." I hugged him and smiled widely, I had felt like an entire weight had been lifted off my shoulders for some strange reason

I sat there, just enjoying my closeness with Dick when my phone began to ring

_Hey wait, I've got a new complaint_  
><em>Forever in debt to your priceless advice...<em>

"This is Avery Wayne"

"It's Jason, I just wanted to ask what you guys decided, will you see me tomorrow or not?"

"I thought I had told Kor'i to tell you to call in two hours"

"I got impatient"

I sighed

"Yes, Jason, we will be there tomorrow at 2 p.m. to see you, but just know, if you, Roy, or Kor'i have any funny business planned, you can bet a broken nose will be the least of your worries"

"I give you my word, Avery, nothing will happen, I just wanna talk to all of you"

"Fine, we'll be there, now I gotta go, I gotta get ready for patrol with the boys, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Alright, bye"

I hung up without replying then looked at Dick, who just smiled at me "I think you handled that pretty well, Avery"

"Thanks, now come on, we have a city we have to protect"

"Avery?"

"Yes, Dickie?"

"I just want to tell you, that no matter what happens tomorrow with Jason, I just want to let you know, that I'll stand by you in whatever you decide to do, you have my support"

"That means a lot, Dickie, thank you"

"No problem, Ava, now let's go, Gotham isn't gonna protect itself"

I laughed and followed Dick to the Batcave, leaving any and all thoughts of Jason in the dust.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it means a lot to me, what did y'all think of Avery and Dick's closeness in this chapter? Do you think that there is a romance blooming for them? I want to know myself, so please review, and I will most likely upload the next chapter later tonight, so with all that said... Laters my peeps!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: The Patrol

As Dick and I got into our suits, I couldn't help but look at Dick as he donned his Nightwing garb, the suit hung lowly on his waist, which gave me a perfect view of his well toned abs, all those acrobatic feats he performed did wonders for his body, I felt a blush creep into my cheeks, I was so glad he was too busy checking his phone that he didn't even notice me enjoying the peepshow he was giving me.

_'Get a grip on yourself, Avery'_ I scolded myself, as I gave myself a mental slap in the face, I got back to the task at hand, putting my Catwoman suit on, I zipped myself up and began spreading the spirit gum around my black mask.

Dick called me as I placed the mask gently around my eyes "Avery, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me get my belt and whip, and we'll get going"

"Cool, so Tim and Damian just went ahead and left, they wanted to get an early start on patrol, they're going to check out the north and west Gotham, we'll be checking out the south and east side of the City"

"Sounds good" I placed my utility belt around my waist and got my whip and secured it on my left side

"I'm set, let's go"

***AT DOWNTOWN GOTHAM CITY***

Everything was calm, hardly anything was going on.

"It's so dead around here, Nightwing"

"Yeah, but we can't let our guard down yet, anything could happen at any given moment, so we gotta keep our eyes sharp"

"Yes, sir!" I mock-saluted, giving him a cheeky grin

Dick just smiled at me then went back to keeping surveillance on the City, I went on the other side of the building we were on to keep a look out, when I saw a man, dressed all in black, standing in front of what was an old research facility with a small briefcase behind him

"Nightwing, take a look at this" I whispered, motioning for him to come over

"What's going on Catwoman?" asked Dick, grabbing his binoculars

"There's a guy right there holding a briefcase, and dressed all in black, do you think he's waiting to do a trade of some kind?"

"Let's wait a just a bit, if we see him approaching anyone, we'll go in for a confrontation"

"Alright"

While we waited, my mind kept going back to the moment I saw Dick half-naked with his Nightwing suit,_ 'Now's not the time to be thinking about that, Avery'_ I chastised myself

"Catwoman, he's making a move, let's go!"

"Ok"

We swooped down and caught the the guy trading off heroin with another man in a business suit

"Stop what you're doing this instant!"

The men took out their weapons and began to attack us, but as we fought the assailants, three more guys showed up, one with a knife, and the other two with a gun, the drug dealer had apparently had back-up.

I was busy fighting off two of the thugs and Dick took on the other three, one of the guys I was fighting, got a good jab at my side, but I managed to get a kick at his jaw, then give him a swift kick at groin, I used my whip to try and take their weapons away, but they held onto their weapons firmly.

"You're gonna regret messing with our trade, kitten" said one of the thugs, as he got a good hit on my cheek, I punched back with equal force and got him in between the eyes.

I was too busy keeping my focus on only one of the thugs I was fighting, that I didn't notice the other one use his knife to slice me in my arm

"Fucking asshole!" I shouted at him, kicking him directly in the face

"Catwoman, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Nightwing, focus at the job at hand" I snapped

My arm was in so much pain, but I kept on fighting, ignoring the burning sensation I was feeling on my arm

I could tell that the two thugs were getting tired, and I used the fact to my advantage, I quickly went on a full blown assault and attacked every chance I got, trying not to give them a chance to fight back, and trying to avoid the knives that were flying at me.

Dick had already gotten his criminal tied up, and quickly came to my aid, taking one of the thugs off my hands.

I looked away for just a second to check on Dick's progress when the guy I was handling got his knife and got me in the stomach _'No!'_

"CATWOMAN!" I felt like the wind had gotten knocked out of me_ 'How could I have not seen this coming?'_

My vision got blurry, and I felt blood gurgling out of my mouth

"You... asshole" I breathed, the guy took out the knife from my stomach and ran away

I fell to the floor, clutching my stomach, tears rolling down my cheeks

"Catwoman, can hear me?" I tried to keep my eyes open, but it was getting difficult

"Nightwing?" I whispered "I'm here, Catwoman, I'm right here with you"

"How bad is my injury?"

"Agent A will get it fixed up for you in no time, I'm gonna call Red Robin and Robin to come get us and have you patched up, ok?"

"Ok" As Dick got a hold of Red Robin, I took a hold of his free hand and laced my fingers through his

"You just hang on, Catwoman, we'll get you fixed up" said Dick as he put his comm device away

"Damn prick... gutted me pretty good"

"You're gonna be fine, Catwoman"

"Nightwing, if I make it out of this, I promise we'll go on a date"

"Catwoman, you're gonna be fine, and you don't need t-"

"Nightwing, please just say you'll go on a date with me"

"Alright Catwoman, we'll go on a date"

"Thank you"

"I should be thanking you Catwoman, for letting me go on a date with you"

"After all you've done for me and my brothers, Nightwing, you deserve it, and it's my chance to make up to you all those years I ignored your feelings towards me"

"I don't want you to go out with me because you feel guilty, Catwoman"

"It's not guilt, Nightwing, I guess it took something big as me getting stabbed to realize that life is short, I don't want to keep hurting myself over Red Hood and I really, truly wanna see where things will lead us"

Dick gently lifted me up and kissed me gently on the lips, I used my free hand to run my fingers through his hair, I was about to tell him to deepen the kiss when I saw Tim's jet stop above us, before slowly flying down a few feet away from us.

"Catwoman, what happened?"

Tim and Damian quickly ran to me in a stretcher "Some punk got the best of me and gutted me, I don't think he hit anything vital, though" I weakly explained

"Robin, Red Robin, help me place Catwoman on the stretcher"

Nightwing and the both Robins helped me onto the stretcher, trying not to strain my wound, then they pushed me to the jet

Tim got on the driver's seat and flew us straight to the Batcave, I was beginning to lose consciousness, I could only faintly hear Tim notifying Alfred to call Dr. Thompkins and get her to come to the manor immediately.

I kept going in and out of consciousness, making a lame attempt to keep myself awake

"Dick..."

"I'm here, Avery"

"Thank you, for everything, I really mean that"

"Don't talk like that, you'll be ok in no time, you got that?"

"You're my hero..." was the last thing I said before everything went black.

**A/N: So yeah, what do you guys think of this chapter? Don't worry, Avery will remain alive and kicking ass, so don't worry lol, okay, so I decided to involve Dick in this little love triangle I created in my noggin and now I can't wait to see what happens between Jason, Dick and Avery, I have so much drama in the future, so please keep reviewing, it makes me so happy knowing that all of you enjoy reading this story just as much as I enjoy writing this for all of you, so many thanks to all of you :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Meeting Up With Jason, Part 1

When I opened my eyes, I saw Alfred and Dr. Leslie standing over me, looking quite relieved, I on the other hand was in so much pain.

"I'm so happy to see you awake, Miss Avery, how do you feel?"

"I feel like crap"

"You had quite a stab wound, it didn't hit anything vital, but I did need to stitch it up, don't make so much movement, or you'll open your stitches, other than that, you'll get better in no time" informed me Dr. Thompkins, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Thompkins" I whispered, then I remembered Dick

"Where's Dick? Is he ok?"

"Whoa, I'm doing fine, Avery, I'm right here" said Dick as he appeared beside me

"Dickie..." I took his hand and held tighly on to it, he smiled at me and returned the gesture

"Alright, I left Alfred the antibiotics that you'll have to put on your wound every 4 hours, I also left him some painkillers, you'll take those every 2 hours, and have Alfred or one of the boys change your bandages every hour so the wound get infected, you hear me?"

"Very well, Doctor, thank you" I replied, shaking her hand with my free one

"No problem, tell Bruce I say hello"

"We will, Ms. Thompkins" said Alfred

And with a final wave, Dr. Thompkins left the Batcave

"How are you feeling, Ms. Avery?"

"I'm fine, Alfred, just tired, and in pain"

"I'll be back, I will fetch you some water so you can take your pills"

"Thank you, Alfie"

When Alfred left, I looked at Dick, who was sitting in a chair looking at his phone, I smiled as I looked at him, in a way, I felt guilty that I was trying to start a relationship with Dick just to try to get over Jason, but no way in hell was I doing this as a form of revenge towards Jason, no, I sincerely wanted to move on from him, of course he would be a part of me, but I needed to move on and find happiness with someone else, and if the person who gave me so much happiness was Dick, then I would do the best I can to make him happy in return, we both deserved it, he has waited for me this long, the least I could do was give him a much deserved chance.

Dick noticed me staring at him and looked at me suspiciously, "Do I have something on my face?" he asked playfully

"No, just looking at you, is that bad?" I teased

"Not bad, just weird" I laughed and tried to hit him

Then, his face turned all dark and serious "I know that the wound wasn't deep or life-threatening, but for a brief second, I seriously thought you were dying, I thought that I would never be able to tell you how I felt about you, or be able to talk to you or hold you, I tho-"

"Dick" I cut off "It's ok, I thought the same thing too, I almost thought I was going to die without being able to give you a chance at us, but I'm still here, I'm still breathing, I'm in pain, but I'm still breathing, so don't think like that now, let's just focus on what's going on now"

Dick smiled brightly at me and leaned down to kiss me, I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through his hair, enjoying the sensation of Dick's soft lips on mine, until I heard someone clearing their throat

"Are we interrupting something?" asked Damian mischievously, Tim laughing behind him

"Hey guys" I said, quite embarassed, motioning for them to come over

As Tim and Damian walked towards me, I was still quite flustered at how they both quite caught me making out with Dick

Tim was the first to hug me and tell me that he was glad I was ok, then Damian threw his arms around me and actually started to cry, which shocked me, to be honest, but as the shock faded I began to cry with him, hugging him as tightly as I could

"I'm ok, baby bird, I'm still here"

Damian then slowly unwrapped himself from me and I helped him wipe the last of his tears away

"Don't you ever do that to us again, Avery, do you hear me?"

I grinned at him, it was his way of saying 'I was worried sick about you'

"Yes sir!" I saluted

"Miss Avery, I have your pills" said Alfred as he walked into the Batcave

"Thank you, Alfred" I took the pills fromm his hand and swallowed them, then drank water from the glass he offered me

"I also wanted to let you know that Master Jason called a moment ago"

I tried not to roll my eyes at this news

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"Yes, he wanted me to inform all of you that he will be instead of all of you going to see him as you had planned, he will be coming here to the manor to see you"

"Alfred, please, don't tell me that you told him about my injury" I pleaded

"My apologies, Miss Avery"

I sighed heavily "It's ok, Alfred, what's done is done, did he tell you when he was coming?"

I figured it was already morning since Tim and Damian are still in his pajamas

"It's barely 10:15 in the morning, he said that he would be here early in the afternoon, Dr. Thompkins also told me that since you wouldn't be able to move around much due to your condition, she left a wheelchair, so you could move somewhat freely"

"That's good, can you please bring the wheelchair over to me? I want to go upstairs and eat breakfast with my brothers"

"Of course, Miss Avery, right away"

"We're gonna go upstairs and get washed up for breakfast, Avery we'll see you in a bit" said Tim as he and Damian gave me a quick hug, trying not to hurt me, then ran upstairs

"Shouln't you be getting washed up for breakfast as well, Richard?" I asked Dick in a playful tone

"I did that while Alfred and Leslie were checking up on your wound, and they helped get you out of your Catwoman suit into a clean shirt and shorts"

I looked down at mysef and noticed he was right, I was wearing my favorite black Batman shirt and sleeping shorts

"You're right"

"I'll wait for Alfred to bring you the wheelchair so I can roll you up to the dining area"

"Thank you"

As Alfred appeared with the wheelchair, I felt Dick's strong arms lifting me carefully out of the medical bed and placed me gently in the wheelchair, making sure I was comfortable, then he offered to take me to the bathroom first so I could brush my teeth before going to breakfast.

When Dick rolled me up to the bathroom, I reached for his right hand and held it, taking comfort knowing he was behind me, I smiled as I felt him tighten his hold around my hand.

Once we reached the bathroom, I grabbed my toothbrush, applied the toothpaste and began to brush my teeth, Dick closely looking after me.

I then realized I had to pee, so I told him to close the door while I did my business

"Don't you need help getting on the toilet, though?" He asked, looking slightly worried

"Nah, I can handle that, but stay there, I may need help getting back up"

"If you say so, but shout if you need me"

"I will" then he closed the door, I was glad the bathroom wasn't small, I had plenty of space to move around here in the wheelchair, so I rolled myself up close to the toilet and then carefully lifted myself up so I could sit on the toilet and begin my business. Once I was done, I cleaned myself up, and gently got up and sat back down on the wheelchair, I rolled up to the sink and washed my hands then opened up the door for Dick.

"Ok, I'm ready to go"

Dick smiles then takes me to the dining area to eat with the rest of the boys

"Hey, guys, what's for breakfast" I greeted as Dick rolled me to the front of the table

"Alfred made pancakes, he'll be bringing them by shortly" said Damian

"Cool, so, now that we know that Jason will be coming back to the manor since it's pretty obvious that jerk invited himself back, we gotta make sure that nothing goes wrong, I want his visit to be short and sweet, if he brings Starfire and/or Roy with him, make sure you guys are well armed, but hide your weapons well"

"Avery" said Dick "You know Roy wouldn't lay a hand on us, we shouldn't be so weary of him, Starfire, on the other hand..."

"Starfire still wants to get back at you for beating her senseless a few the other day at the karaoke bar, so if she does accompany Todd, we should send her away, Roy isn't much of a threat anyway, but Starfire isn't trustworthy at all, especially if Todd told her that you have been injured, she could use that to her advantage and attack you" Damian explained

"Just because I'm incapacitated doesn't mean a damn thing, Damian" I retorted

"Don't let the wheelchair fool you, I can still kick her ass"

"I do not doubt that in the slightest, Avery" said Damian

"When Jason arrives, let's at least try to be friendly with him, please" begged Dick

"I'll be amicable with him, Dickie, but if he says anything out of line, I will not hold back" I warned

"That's all I ask of you, Avery"

Alfred came out with our pancakes, he then began to give us a plate each of four pancakes and a glass of juice, then he went back out to the kitchen, and we began to eat our food.

"So..." Tim started "You and Dick, huh?"

I turned bright red and Dick looked embarassed

"Oh come on guys, don't be shy about it, I'm happy you guys are together, I really am" said Tim

"Thanks Tim, it means a lot that you approve of me and Dick's relationship"

"You better take care of my sister, Grayson" Damian warned

"I give you my word, Damian, I'll take very good care of her" said Dick as he took my hand in his, his eyes on me, looking at me with such... love

"I know you will, Grayson now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to the batcave to get some training in before Todd comes" Damian replied as he stood from his chair and placed his napkin next to the empty plate

"May I join you, Damian?" asked Tim as he stood up as well

"Hurry up, Drake"

So that only left me and Dick at the dining table "What do you feel like doing while we wait for Jason?"

"How about we go to the living room and play Mortal Kombat" I suggested

"Sounds good to me, let's go" Dick then took the wheelchair and led me to the living room.

While Dick plugged the PS3 to the television, I managed to get a good view of his ass, and boy was I enjoying it

"Shake that ass for me and I'll give you $100" I teased, Dick stood back up

"Avery, we have children at home" He chastised me in a playful tone, wiggling his butt

"Is the console set up yet?"

"Yeah, just let me turn it on" once he turned on the console on, he grabbed the two controllers, setting them down on the coffee table next to me, then lifting me up carefully out of the wheelchair and placing me gently on the couch

"Ready to get your ass kicked, Dickie? I asked as he reached over and grabbed the controllers, and handed me one

"In your dreams, Avery"

As the main screen popped up, we chose our fighters and got ready to fight

I chose Kitana and Dick chose Sub-Zero

When the voice-over announced the beginning of the fight, I went all out, attacking Dick's fighter before he could get a chance to freeze me

"Come on, Dickie, try to at least get a hit on me, hun" I laughed

"If you would let me, I could get a hit on you"

I grinned, knowing I had the upper hand, and within minutes, I had one the first round

Dick groaned "You got lucky"

I stuck my tongue out at him

"Let's see if you can redeem yourself in the second round"

"I won't go so easy on you this time" said Dick

"Show me what you got, boy wonder"

The next round began, and we gave it our all, trying to beat our opponent, but in the end, I came out winning the second round

"Alright, so you're good, I admit it" said Dick

"Do I get a reward?" I asked

"Yes, you do" he then leaned forward and kissed me, I grinned as I threw my arms around his neck and pulling him to me, enjoying the kiss, soon our tongues got involved and boy, did Dickie know how to use that tongue of his, unfortunately, we needed air, so we pulled away

I looked at him with such awe, and in that brief moment, I definitely believed that I was slowly but surely falling in love with Dick, and I was okay with that, I no longer imagined myself seeing myself kissing Jason, but the man in front of me, the man that was slowly making his way into my heart.

"Dickie, I think I-"

"Miss Avery, Master Richard, Master Jason has arrived, and he has brought Miss Kor'i along, shall I let them in?"

I looked at Dick, who smiled at me "It's gonna be okay, Avery"

"Let them come in, and please notify Damian and Tim of Jason's arrival as well, Alfred"

"As you wish, Miss Avery" Alfred then left to get Jason and Kor'i

"Dick, could you please put me in the wheelchair, I'm starting to get uncomfortable"

"Sure thing, Avery" as Dick placed me in the wheelchair, he took me by the hand and squeezed it gently

"Everything will be okay, Ava, remember, I'll be beside you the whole time, and so will Tim and Dami, so just remain calm, okay?"

"Alright, Dickie" Dick then smiled at me and placed a kiss on my forehead

"You manage to move on fast, Richard"

We turned to see Jason and Kor'i standing in the living room entrance, Kor'i was livid and Jason looked thouroughly upset, but he hid it well, oh well, it wasn't my problem anymore

"Jason, I'm glad you could make it, and Kor'i, I don't remember you telling me you were coming as well" I said, rolling up to them to greet them

"I want to make sure this meeting between Jason and his siblings goes well"

"I see, well, please take a seat, Damian and Tim will join us shortly, would you like anything to drink?" I offered

"I would like some water please" said Jason taking a seat on the small couch

"Water would be fine, thank you" said Kor'i sitting next to Jason

Dick was about to ask Jason something when Alfred came into the living room with Tim and Damian

"Alfred, could you please get some water for our guests, I'd greatly appreciate it"  
>"Right Away, Miss"<p>

"Tim, Damian, how are you, guys?" asked Jason

Tim went to shake Jason's hand and then took a seat next to Dick on the couch across from Jason

"I've been good, Jason, I've been doing some research on a new drug that's been spreading out in the dance clubs lately"

"Is it that new Krokodyl drug?"

"Yeah, that one, I only have information on the guy who created it, but not much else"

"What about you, Damian?"

Damian stayed quiet, I figured he was trrying to figure out if he should say something to Jason or not

"Damian" I said "Please, we went over this"

He sighed "I've been doing great, nothing much is different about me, I have been training more often and even Grayson is starting to teach some acrobatics, but nothing much else has been going on"

"That's good to hear" replied Jason "And Dickie boy, how are you, how's Bruce?"

"I'm fine, Jason, nothing much has changed since you left, I decided to remain here in the manor, I quit my job as a cop and dedicated myself full time to being Nightwing, and since Avery got recently injured, I am taking care of her"

"I noticed that" sneered Kor'i

Before I could open my mouth with a witty remark, Damian answered "Is that a problem for you, Tamaranean?"

Kor'i glared at Damian "No, not a problem at all"

It hadn't been ten minutes yet and there was already tension building up

I then cleared my throat to get everyone's attention

"Very well, if we're done with all the formalities and small chit-chat, I recall that our brother wanted to see us to talk with us, so let's get to it, why don't we?"

**A/N: READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12: Meeting Up With Jason, Part 2

"So, Jason, what did you wish to talk with us about, you said we had 'unfinished business'" I said as Alfred gave Jason and Kor'i their water

"I just wanted us to be able to have a normal conversation without having it end in a fight, that's all"

"Alright" I said "Start talking"

"Look" Jason started as he stood up from the couch "Guys, I know you guys won't accept any explanantion as to why I left the manor all those years ago, but I just had so much anger and resentment towards dad-"

"Bruce Wayne stopped being your father once you renounced his last name!" shouted Damian fiercely, jumping up suddenly from the couch

"DAMIAN WAYNE-AL-GHUL, STAND DOWN!" I yelled at him with all the authority I could muster

"We spent night after night hoping we would hear something, anything from you when you decided to leave, we were all worried, Dick and Avery especially, we would stay up hoping that you would call or text just to let us know you were okay, but you didn't even do that, you asshole! Was all the love and support we gave you not enough for you to stay? We would give you all that we could, we gave and gave, but no matter what that wasn't good enough, you kept taking from us and then left just because you and father had a disagreement, you know father still blames himself for not being to rescue you that night you 'died' at the hands of the Joker? Bet you didn't know that, did you?"

"Damian, that's enough!" Dick shouted, forcing Damian to sit back down

"Damian, I really am sorry I left, like I said I was blinded by anger, I know I messed up by not calling all of you just to let you know I was doing fine, I really am sorry for all of that, but like it or not, Bruce is still and always will be my father, as much as I don't get along with him right now, he's still my father" Jason said in a low voice

Damian was trying really hard not to jump back up and attack Jason, his anger was clearly visible, tears were slowly brimming from his eyes, but he would swipe them away, just like me, he wouldn't give Jason or anyone the satisfaction of seeing them in pain

"Dami, please, calm down" I pleaded, placing a hand on his cheek

"I'm sorry, Damian, I really am" Jason said trying to reach out to him, and what Damian did next surprised all of us

Damian then punched Jason in the face, and threw his small arms around him

"You have no idea how badly I have waited to tell you that I miss you, Todd, we all do, Drake,  
>Grayson, and Avery, we all miss you, but you left us alone, and father, he was so heartbroken, he spent many nights crying over you, holding onto the picture of you in the Robin suit, wishing his Red-Hooded birdie could come home so we could be a family, but you left to be with the so-called 'Outlaws'"<p>

"Damian" Jason's tears were clearly visible as he hugged Damian tightly, it made me smile knowing Damian was finally letting his emotions be seen in front of people, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was glad Jason was here

Jason then let Damian go and gave him a brotherly kiss on the cheek, and tousled his hair affectionately

Dick was smiling widely, happy that things were going great, and it made me happy seeing his smile, in a way, it was his smile that had saved me.

Jason then motioned for Tim to get up, and Tim timidly walked over to him, and Jason threw his arms around Tim in a tight embrace, Timmy returned the gesture by throwing his arms around Jason, sobbing loudly

"Please forgive me, little red, I'm sorry, I really am" Jason whispered to Tim, who just nodded his head, not able to say anything

When Jason let Tim go, Tim said "All is forgiven, big bro"

Dick got up and threw his arms around Jason, and Jason in return did the same, no words were spoken, the only sound that was heard was the sniffling sounds both boys were making from the crying that was taking place, I myself began to cry, because I realized that Jason actually made the first step in fixing the broken relationship with his brothers, it was what I had always wanted in the first place all along

For the first time in a long time, I can admit I was really, truly happy, not only was I with a guy who loved me despite my short-comings, but I can let go of all the hatred and resentment I had towards my second-oldest brother, I was finally at peace

"Avery..." I was snapped out of my pensive state when I heard Jason calling my name

I looked at him and actually smiled at him, no fake or forced smile, a true smile

"Jason, come here" I said, motioning for him to come over

Dick gave Jason a slight push towards me, and I tried to lift myself out of the wheelchair, but it was a bit difficult

"Dickie, could you give me a hand, please?"

Dick then came over and gently lifted me up from the wheelchair, his hand entwined in mine, and then placed me in front of Jason

With tears in my eyes, I teased him "Aren't you gonna give your sister a hug, too?"

Jason smiled and gently hugged me, trying not to hurt my wound, I hugged back

"Thank you for this, Jay, thank you so much"

"You were right, Avery, I'm sorry I was a stubborn ass for so long" Jason whispered

I laughed "What matters is that you recognized the error of your ways, big brother, and that you've come to fix the mistakes you made"

"Yeah, you're right" he then broke away from me and Dick helped me back down to the wheelchair

When I was situated in my wheelchair, Dick placed a hand on my shoulder

Jason noticed this and I could tell he was jealous, and though he was good at hiding his emotions from everyone else, he couldn't hide them from me

"Take care of her, Goldie" was all Jason said

"I will, Jaybird" and then they shook hands, a silent understanding between them, followed by another brotherly hug

When they broke away, Jason looked at all of us

"When is dad coming back home?" he asked

"We're not sure, he went on a Justice League assignment, so we figured he'd be gone a while" I explained

"Could you let me know when he comes back home? I want to talk with him as well"

"Yeah, we'll let you know, Jay, Bruce will be happy to hear from you" said Dick

"Jason" I replied "Would you and Kor'i like to join us for dinner?"

Jason looked like he was about to cry "You have no idea how much I've missed Alfred's cooking"

We laughed, and Kor'i spoke up

"I apologize, but I will have to decline your offer, Jason you may stay and eat with your siblings if you wish, but I wish to spend the rest of the day with Roy"

"Yeah, sure, Star, tell Roy where I am, please"

"I will, goodbye"

As Kor'i left, we all just remained in the living room, reminiscing about our days as kids, and just enjoying our company without any fights or harsh words being thrown around, it felt as if Jason had never left

"Alfred, could you please come to the living room?" Dick called

Moments later, Alfred appeared "You called, Master Richard?"

"We will be having Jason join us for dinner, please set up the table for one more person" Alfred's eyes widen and he grabbed Jason and gave him a tight hug

"Oh, I'm so happy that you'll be here for dinner, Master Jason"

"I am too, Alfred, I missed ya, buddy" said Jason as he hugged Afred

"I'm almost done with dinner, I'll let you know momentarily"

"Thank you, Alfred" I said

As we waited for dinner, we all just remained in the living room, just reminiscing about the old days and having a good time

I was happy that everything was back to normal, I was still torn on whether he could be completely trustworthy, but if my brothers and my_ boyfriend_ (yes, I considered Dick my boyfriend) were happy around him, then just this once, I would leave all doubts on the back of my head and just enjoy my time with him.

Once Alfred called us over for dinner, Dick rolled me to the dining area while Jason, Tim and Damian went on ahead of us

"Avery?"

"Yeah, Dickie?"

"I'm really happy you and Jason patched things up, it means a lot to me"

I smiled at him pulled him to me, my lips meeting his

"I knew it was something you wanted, so I grew up and swallowed my pride, I don't regret forgiving him, I feel relieved, it feels as though everything is as it should be right now"

"Does this mean that you regret choosing me, then?"

My face went from happy to serious in an instant

"Richard John Grayson, I should slap you right now, If I chose to be with you, it's because I really want us to be together, not out of pity or out of guilt, I really want to be with you, not Jason, not anyone else, you hear me?"

Dick looked down in shame

"Dickie, look at me" I used my hand to lift his face to me

"I understand your doubt, but please don't second-guess me, I want to be with you and only you, no one else, you hear me?"

"Yes" Dick said, his hand slowly caressing my cheek, I leaned into his hand and smiled

"Come on, the guys are already waiting for us to join them" Dick replied leading me to the dining room

When we reached the living room, we saw that the boys had already begun eating, Alfred then came by to give me and Dick our dinner

"Miss Avery, remind me that I must give you your pills and change your bandages before you turn in for the night"

"Don't worry, Alfred, I can do that for her" said Dick as he picked up his fork

"Is that alright with you, Miss Avery?"

Before I could answer, Tim said "I think she's more than alright with that" causing Jason and Damian to laugh, making me blush

"Shut up, Timothy" I hissed

Alfred laughed as well "I'll give Master Richard your medications in a moment"

"Thanks Alfred"

When Alfred left, Dick smacked Tim in the back of the head

"Damn it, Dick, that hurt!"

"That'll teach you to keep your mouth shut, little brat" I snarled

We ate and talked, I mostly ate because I was extremely hungry

But soon, everyone began getting tired and soon started leaving for their respective bedrooms  
>Before I left the dining room, Alfred came by to give Dick my medications<p>

"The instructions are on the bottles, Master Richard"

"Thanks Alfred, goodnight"

"Goodnight, sir and Miss Avery

"Goodnight Alfred"

"Will you be staying here tonight, Jason, you know you're more than welcome to stay if you want" said Dick, looking at Jason

"I don't know, can I stay in my own room?"

"Of course, Jay" I said rolling up besides Dick "No one has been in your room since you left, so go ahead and turn in for the night"

"Thanks, hey Goldie, you have any clothes I can use for tonight?"

"Yeah, go ahead and help yourself, I'm gonna help Avery with her medications"

"Thanks, well goodnight, guys, I'm gonna call Roy and Kor'i and let them know I'll be staying here tonight"

"See you in the morning, Jason" I said

"Avery, let's get to your room and get you situated, ok?"

"Hm, someone's anxious, aren't they?" I teased

"Calm yourself, Avery, I'm just gonna put your medications and change you bandages, don't get too excited now" laughed Dick, kissing my temple

He then led me to the elevator where it took us to the floor where my bedroom stood

As Dick led me to my room, he would stop in each of the boy's rooms to say goodnight to them

He first stopped in Damian's room, he knocked twice before Damian came out

"Hey Dami, me and Avery just wanted to say goodnight"

"Goodnight, Damian, sweet dreams, baby brother" I said as I reached over to give Damian a hug

"Goodnight Avery, goodnight Grayson" said Damian giving Dick a hug before going back into his room

Then we went to Tim's bedroom, Dick knocked on his bedroom door, and he appeared already wearing his pajamas

"Just wanted to say goodnight, Timmy" I said

"Goodnight, Avery, goodnight Dick" Tim replied as he hugged Dick and gave me a hug and kiss goodnight

Then we arrived at Jason's bedroom and knocked on his door, when he answered the door he was in a pair of Dick's black sweatpants and a red muscle shirt

"Just wanted to say goodnight, bro" I said, smiling warmly at him

"Goodnight guys, see y'all in the morning" then with a brief hug to me and Dick, he went back to his room, and me and Dick headed to my room

Once inside, Dick lifted me up and set me in on the bed, getting my medications out of the small bag behind the wheelchair

"Alright, first I'm gonna give you the painkillers, so here" Dick then took out the bottle of pills and gave me two along with a bottle of water I had in my room

As I downed the pills, Dick layed me down on my bed and began to carefully peel off my bandages off, I hissed at the slight shock of pain I got as the bandages were a bit stuck to my skin

"Sorry about that, Ava"

"It's okay Dick, those bandages were just a bit stuck on my skin"

Dick kissed the area were my stab wound was

"Aren't you sweet" I smiled

Dick then took the antibiotic ointment and began to spread it around my wound

"I'm almost done, then I'll reapply the bandages, and we'll be done"

"Okay"

When Dick was done applying the ointment, he took out a medium sized box that had new bandages, as he took out the bandages, I closed my eyes briefly, enjoying the attention I was getting from Dick

Dick began applying the bandages, feeling the soft cloth touching my skin, then finishing up by putting the medical tape to secure the bandages.

He then gave me a change of clothes and turned away as I got out of my old clothes and began to change, once I gave him the okay to look, he made his way to the door.

"Where are you going, Dickie?" I asked

"My room, why?"

"Dick, I'd really like it if you could please stay here with me tonight"

"Avery, are you sure that's a good idea?"

I laughed "It's not like I'm in any condition to have sex, Dick, haha, I just want to have you here with me, please?"

"Alright, just let me get changed into another set of clothes, I'll be back"

When Dick left, I began to think of all the events that lead me to where I am today, did I regret many of the choices I made throughout these past days? Sincerely, no not really, I guess in the end it took Jason's rejection to make me realize who was really worth of all my love, and Dick was that person who deserved all my love, sure Jason and I would never have anything as far as a 'serious relationship' but we would always be 'brother and sister' and that was pretty good enough for me, I was okay with that, he would always be my brother, no matter what

"What are you thinking about, Ava?" asked Dick as he climbed into my bed, bringing me out of my thoughts

"Just how happy I am that everything is back to normal" I said, as I snuggled into him, putting my head on his chest

"Yeah, I'm really glad Jason came around and decided to clear things up with us" Dick said, putting his arms around me and kissing my forehead

"I have a feeling that everything from now on is gonna be just fine" I replied, giving Dick a peck on the lips

"I feel the same way, Avery, I feel the same way" agreed Dick

Dick's light snores were a signal that he had already fallen asleep, I gently ran my fingers around his chest, the beating of his heart was my lullaby, as I slowly fell into slumber, one thought escaped my mind before everything went dark

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Dick Grayson"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13: The Date, Part 1

When I woke up, I was happy to find Dick still in bed, his arm wrapped a bit tight around my shoulders, he was awake as well

"Good morning, Boy Wonder" I purred, nuzzling him

"Good morning, kitten" he greeted, kissing my forehead

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, wrapping my long legs around his

"Yes, I did actually, last night I heard the most greatest thing ever"

I got quite curious "What did you hear?" I asked

"I heard you saying that you were falling in love with me"

"I thought I had said that in my head" I laughed, blushing a bit

"Nope, I heard it pretty clear, even though I was asleep"

I placed my arms around his broad chest and smiled "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag"

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but whatever I did, I'm glad I did it" said Dick, rolling over to face me

"You didn't do much, I'm the one who should be telling you that, I was so blinded by Jason's rejection that I didn't see the lovely man that was in front of me the whole time" I sighed, caressing Dick's face, his eyes showing contentment as he reveled in my touch

"Avery..." Dick whispered my name "I love you, Avery"

Tears of happiness sprang from my eyes "Dickie, I love you, too" no hesitation, no deceit, just pure, sincere love

Dick then attacked my lips with his, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Dick's lips on mine, they were so soft, God, I was so lucky to have him

Moments later, I felt Dick's hands reach the hem of my shirt and began to slowly lift it up, I broke from the kiss to let him take my shirt off completely, and I did the same, I took off his black muscle shirt in one fell swoop and began to kiss every part of his body, his chest his stomach, his neck, everywhere I could reach

Dick gently stroked my stomach and the rest of my body, when he reached my breasts, that's where I had to stop, I was getting too excited and I didn't want to to do something I wasn't ready for

"I'm sorry, Dick, I guess I got carried away in the heat of the moment"

Dick smiled at me "We both did, I'm actually glad you stopped, I didn't want us to do something we'd both regret, but I promise, when the time comes, it's gonna be something special"

"I believe you, boy wonder"

"Now, if I recall, you promised me a date, and I'd like to go on said date today, if that's ok with you"

"I thought you'd never ask, just let me take a shower, I need one badly, what time is it anyway?"

"It's almost 12 noon"

"I skipped out on breakfast?"

"Don't worry, I told Alfred we were gonna be going on a date, so we'll get something to eat in Gotham"

"What about Jason and the boys?"

"Jason is gonna take them to the zoo"

"Alright, well could you help me up, please?"

As Dick helped me up, he helped me to the bathroom, after I reassured him that I could handle taking a shower, he gave me a peck on the cheek then went to his own room to get dressed

Since my shirt was already off (thanks to Dick) I removed the last bits of clothing I had and stepped into the shower, turning on the hot water first, and minutes later, the cold water

I washed my hair and scrubbed my body until it was pink and I repeated the process until I was satisfied

When I stepped out of the shower, I grabbed my towel and began to dry myself off, being careful with my bandages, then I took out my blow dryer and began to dry my hair, making sure it was completely dry, once I was done with that, I took out my make-up bag and began to do my make-up, applying my foundation, mascara, eyeliner and finally my red lipstick

Once I was happy with my make-up, I went to my bedroom and looked for something to wear on the date, I picked out a grey blouse and a pair of black skinny jeans with some black flats.

As I got dressed, someone knocked on the door "Who is it?"

"It's me Avery" it was Dick

"Come on in, I'm almost done getting dressed"

As Dick walked inside, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets, he looked good enough to eat, he was dressed in black dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt.

"Where do you plan on taking me dressed like that, hmm?" I asked, cleaning up the bit of drool that had formed at the side of my mouth

"That's a surprise"

"A surprise, huh?" I smiled and put the finishing touches on my outfit, putting on the heart pendant necklace my dad had given to me for my sixteenth birthday, and some Victoria's Secret perfume, I then finally brushed my hair

"I'm ready to go"

"Don't you wanna take the wheelchair, just in case?" asked Dick

"No, I wanna walk around, as much as I enjoy you taking me everywhere, I'm getting annoyed being stuck in that contraption"

"Alright, let's go, do you need help walking to the elevator at least?"

"Yeah"

Dick then gently took my hand then led me out of my room and towards the elevator

When we got to the first floor, I leaned into Dick as he helped me walk to the garage, where he kept his car, a black Hummer H3

"C'mon Dickie, tell me where you're taking me, I wanna know already" I groaned, my face pouting up

"No, it's a surprise, Avery, what kind of surprise would it be if I told you?" said Dick as he helped me get into the passenger side of the car

"No fair, Grayson"

Dick just laughed as he got into the driver's seat

"You have your seatbelt on, Ava?"

"Check" I answered

"Alright, let's get going"

I was quite nervous as Dick drove to our 'surprise' location, the girly girl in me wanted to go to someplace super fancy, but the tomboy in me just wanted to get a burger at Gotham Burgers  
>"Avery, close your eyes"<p>

"What, why?" I asked

"Because we're almost there, and like I said, I want to surprise you, please do it"

"Oh, alright" I closed my eyes for the last few minutes of the drive

I felt Dick slow down the car, then make a complete stop

"We're here, but I need for you to keep your eyes closed, Avery, okay?"

"I hear ya" I heard Dick taking off his seatbelt then opening his door, then he came by to get me out of the car as well

"Here, just wait a sec, I'm gonna lock the doors"

"Okay" and within seconds, I heard Dick's voice leading me to our destination

"I hope you'll like where we'll be eating, it was short notice after all"

"Dick, I don't care where we eat, just as long as we're together" I reassured him, kissing his hand

"Alright, well, open your eyes, Avery"

I opened my eyes and I almost started crying, we were in front of Gotham's most famous Italian high-class restaurant, La Dolce Vita

Despite my injury, I threw my arms around Dick and kissed him time and time again

"H-how did you know this was my favorite restaurant?" I asked as I unwrapped myself from him

"I remember coming here with you for your 15th birthday when Selina was still with Bruce"

"Dickie, I can't believe you remembered, thank you" I said giving him another hug

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't remember?" I smiled as he called himself my boyfriend

"Come on, let's go inside, I'm starving" when we arrived inside, we were greeted by the Maitre' D

"Table for 2 under 'Grayson'"

The Maitre'D looked at his list and smiled at us "Please, Mr. Grayson, right this way" We followed the Maitre'D to our table, hands entwined, and my heart bursting with happiness

"Here is your table, sir, your waiter will be here momentarily, enjoy yourselves, kids" said the Maitre'D, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes

"Thank you, sir" I replied

Dick then took out a chair for me and I sat down "what a gentleman you are" I teased, making Dick blush, I smiled and just made small talk with him while we waited for our waiter to arrive

"So, Dick, have you heard from Jason and the boys?"

"I got a text from Jason while I was getting dressed, he said he wanted to hang out with them and catch up with them, so he said that after the zoo, he wanted to take them to the amusement park"

"That's good, so, they'll be gone for a while?" I asked

"Yeah they might be home a bit late, maybe a bit after 8 or 9"

"Good, because last night we didn't go on patrol and we can't miss patrol a second time"

"'We' aren't gonna go on patrol tonight, you're staying in tonight, and so am I"

"But why, my wound is getting better!"

"Avery, yes, your wound is getting better, but you're still not cleared up 100%, besides, I'll ask Jason to patrol with Tim and Damian"

"Dick, are you sure you should be asking Jason to go on patrol with the boys?"

"Why are you asking this, Avery?"

"Because, we're not sure if Jason even wants to be partners with us still, one thing is for him to be forgiven as a member of the family, but it's a whole different story when our suits are on, we're not even sure he wants to remain in the manor"

"You know he can come and go as he pleases, he's not a child Ava"

"That's not what I meant,_ Richard_, what I mean is, what worries me is that after Jason has taken out the boys for a day out on the town, he's gonna leave them back at the manor and won't see them again, Damian could take it, but it's Tim that worries, before this whole mess started, Tim was really close to Jason, and if he leaves again, think about how that's gonna leave him, Dickie, I don't think he can take much more disappointment"

"Avery, listen to me, when Jason came back yesterday, he didn't come back to be a temporary fixture, he wants to be in our lives completely now, if he wants to remain with The Outlaws, that's fine, that's his decision to make, but yesterday he made sure that he would be with us for good now"

"I really hope that you're right, Dickie, because something deep inside is telling me that you're wrong"

Dick took my hand and lightly kissed it "Avery, any doubts that you have of Jason, you can forget about 'em, Jason made the mistake of leaving us once, I don't think he'd be dumb enough to make the same mistake twice"

"I hope you're right, Dickie" I sighed

"Enough of Jason, let's enjoy the rest of our day, alright?" Dick remarked, smiling at me

"Okay"

Our waiter finally arrived and we gave him our drink orders, and then we gave him our food orders

"I'll take the Chicken Alfredo, please" I said, giving the waiter his menu back

"And I'll take the Perciatelli all'Amatriciana"

"I'll bring your orders in just a bit, excuse me"

Before the waiter left, he left us a bowl of garlic bread as appetizers

"So, Avery, I wanted to ask you something?"

"Go ahead, what's on your mind, Boy Wonder?"

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to be, you know, would you like to be my girl-"

"Yes, Richard John Grayson, I'd be honored to be your girlfriend"

"Thank you" said Dick

"You can thank me later tonight" I said, winking at him

Dick turned bright red "I'm only teasing, Dickie, I know you're not ready, and neither am I"

"You're such a tease, Avery"

"You know you like it" I replied

"I'll never tell" Dick remarked

My playful banter immediately turned serious when I all my thoughts went to my father.

"But on a serious matter, I'm worried a bit about dad, I remember him telling me that he was on a Justice League assignment, but he never said how long that would take, he's been gone for quite some time now, do you think something happened to him?"

"I know what you mean, he would always let us know where he was, or he would at least tell Alfred to notify us that he was ok"

"Can you please call Alfred and ask? I just wanna know if dad's okay"

"Yeah sure" Dick then took out his phone and called the manor

"Hey Alfred, it's Dick, say, have you heard anything from dad, last I heard from him was when he told us he would be gone on a JLA assignment, and we haven't heard from him these past few days, me and Avery wanted to know if he's called you or anything, is he okay?"

As Dick talked with Alfred, I was trying not to freak out and assume the worst, after all, my father's The Batman, he wouldn't let anything hurt him or let something stop him from getting what he wanted

"Okay, thank you, Alfred, see you later tonight"

"What did he say, Dick?"

"No need to worry, Avery, dad's fine, turns out that he already finished his assignment with the Justice League, but Cassandra called him from China to help her take down the local drug lords that are taking over Beijing, so he flew to China right away, Alfred says he should be back in Gotham City in a couple of weeks, tops"

"Oh thank God, I was starting to freak out a bit" I said, relieved that my father wasn't in harm's way

"You shouldn't even be worried in the first place, Avery, or do you forget that your father's The Dark Knight?"

"Haha, very funny"

Our food and beverages had finally arrived, we thanked our waiter and began to eat, as we ate, we talked about one thing or the other, just enjoying each other's company, and having a good time altogether.

"This pasta I ate was delicious, I would ask for more, but I get full so easily" said Dick as he patted his stomach, I laughed at him

"Are we gonna order dessert?" I asked

"Nope"

"What do you mean 'nope'?" I wondered

"When we're done here, we'll be going on the second half of our date"

"You planned our entire date out, didn't you?"

"Maybe"

Dick then called the waiter for the check, and moments later, the waiter appeared with our check

I waited while Dick payed the bill and tipped the waiter, he got up from his chair and then walked towards me and helped me out of my chair and led me out of the restaurant

"Wait until you see where I'm taking you next"

I turned to him, confused "Where are you taking me? Come on Dickie, tell me, I can't handle another surprise, please tell me with a cherry on top"

Dick sighed and finally gave in

"Alright, since you're so desperate to know, there's a special screening of 'The Exorcist' at the theatre and I bought us tickets to go see it"

"No way!"

"Yep, so let's get going, I wanna get front row seats"

I wrapped my arms around Dick's waist as we walked to his car, excited for the next part of our date

**A/N: To the guest who reviewed my story, I appreciate your criticism, I wanted to make Jason a bit ooc in this story, but he won't always be like that, in future chapters, his badass side will come out, and regarding the relationship between Dick and Avery escalating quickly, I personally thought it was at a good pace, but thank you for pointing it out**

**I appreciate all the reviews that are coming in (good and bad lol), they mean a lot to me, I send all of you lots of love and hugs your way, thank you, from the bottom of my heart :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14: The Date, Part 2

Dick found us some good seats in the very front, the movie had not started, so I suggested I go and grab us some snacks before the previews began, but being the gentleman he was, Dick offered to go get them, so he left to the concession stand while I saved him his seat

I played with my phone while I waited for Dick to return with our snacks when I heard someone calling my name

"Avery Wayne, is that you?"

I lifted my head to see who it was that was calling my name, and I was surprised to see it was none other than my 'other sister' and fellow crime fighter, Stephanie Brown

"Steph, is that really you?" I asked, happy to see her after so many years apart

"In the flesh, darling, how are you?" Stephanie asked as she came over to give me a hug

"I'm doing fine, Stephanie, I got a bit hurt a few nights ago while I was on patrol with Dick, but other than that, I'm doing fine, what about you?"

"I've doing great, I'm glad that Bruce was able to do the whole 'solo hero' thing, I actually partnered up with Cassandra a few times, but she had to go to China, she told me that there were some drug lords up there while she was staying there, so she had Bruce help her after he finished his Justice League assignment"

"Stephanie?" we both turned around and saw Dick holding a big bag of popcorn and two drinks

"Hey, Goldie, how are you?" said Stephanie as she went to give Dick a hug

"I'm doing fine, and you?" Dick asked, giving her a hug with his free arm

"Pretty awesome... Wait a minute, though, are you two on a date?"

I smiled at Stephanie "Yeah, we're a couple now"

"Wow, that's great, Avery, I'm glad that you finally got over Jas-"

"Thanks, Steph" I said cutting her off to save ourselves the awkward moment

"Oh, yeah, sorry" said Stephanie, realizing the small mistake she made

"How are you, Stephanie, you enjoying your new role as Batgirl?" asked Dick as he took his seat next to me

"I'm enjoying it, it's really fun, although, I kinda miss my Spoiler days"

"Are you here with anyone, Stephanie?" I wondered

"Yeah, I would usually hang out with Cassandra, but since she's off in Beijing, I didn't wanna stay home alone, so I decided to come and watch my favorite movie"

"You wanna watch it with us? That way you won't be sitting all by yourself" said Dick motioning for her to sit on the empty seat next to me

"Are you sure? I mean, you guys are on a date and I don't wanna impose"

"Thanks for the consideration, Steph, but do you really wanna watch 'The Exorcist' all by yourself?" I asked, grinning at her

I think that won her over because she immediately took the seat next to me

"Thank you, guys"

"Don't mention it, Steph, but you owe me one next time" I replied in a playful tone

"You got it" said Stephanie as the previews began.

Once the opening scene started, Dick placed his arm around me, kissing my forehead, I leaned into him, my hand entwining with his

I had forgotten why this was my one of my all time favorite movies, it was so well-acted and just all around gory and straight up creepy, I loved it.

Throughout the movie, Dick was more scared than I am, at one point he literally shouted "HOLY SHIT!" when Reagan was masturbating with the crucifix, while I almost threw up, Stephanie was trying hard not to cry

"I think I'm gonna be sick" said Dick, covering his mouth

"I swear, Dick Grayson if you throw up on me, you're gonna be sleeping alone tonight" I warned him, rubbing his stomach to soothe his discomfort

"Don't worry, I won't"

As the movie progressed, I was quite disturbed by the exorcism that was being performed on Reagan, the way her head would spin, oh God, I almost wanted to cry with Stephanie, it was sickening

I almost crushed Dick's hand as Father Karras asks Pazuzu to take him instead when he saw that Pazuzu had killed Father Merrin, and then the demon obeys and takes over the priest, who then jumps out of the nearby window, killing himself instantly.

The movie ended, and everyone began filing out of the room, while me, Dick, and Stephanie watched the ending credits

"Well, I won't be sleeping well tonight, that's for sure" said Stephanie, hugging herself tightly

"I just didn't like the scene where Reagan was masturbating with the crucifix, that was just all kinds of disturbing" I said, putting my arms around Dick's neck

"Well, that's something I never wanna see again" remarked Dick

"What time is it? I have to go patrol tonight at 10 tonight" asked Stephanie as she stretched out

"It's 7:30" I said, looking at my watch

"Well, it was good to see you guys and hang out with y'all for a bit, but I gotta get ready for tonight" replied Stephanie, giving me and Dick a hug

"It was great seeing you too, Steph, you should stop by the manor one of these days and we can catch up"

"Yeah, that'd be great, you still have the same number?"

"Yeah, just call me anytime" I said, giving her a hug

"I will, have fun on the rest of your date" said Stephanie, and with a final wave, she left

"Thanks for letting her sit with us, Dickie, that was very nice of you to do"

"Well, what kind of person watches a scary movie on their own?" Dick laughed, putting his arm around my waist

"So, Golden Boy, what else do you have planned for us tonight?" I asked

"Well, the movie was pretty much it, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go" replied Dick bashfully

"How about we go to the Gotham pier?" I suggested

"That sounds pretty good, let's go"

We were exiting the movie theatre when we ran into another unexpected person

"Hey Avery, how's it going?"

"Roy, hey! How are you?" I asked as I shook his hand

"I'm doing fine, Avery, how's it going, Grayson?" asked Roy as he shook hands with Dick

"I'm fine, Roy, it's good to see you"

"Thanks, I just needed to get away from Starfire, she's been insufferable lately"

My curiosity once again got the best of me

"What's going on with her?" I asked

"Well, Jason called us yesterday to let us know that he would be staying at the manor, and I was cool with it, but then Starfire 'demanded' to know if you and Dickie had gotten together, so Jason said told her the truth, he told her that you were in a relationship with Grayson, and Starfire flipped the fuck out, seriously"

"What did she do?" asked Dick

"She went batshit crazy, she began throwing everything around, I mean, I know our house is a piece of shit, but she made it much worse, she threw dishes, pictures, you name it she threw it, I tried to get her to calm down, but I almost got my head ripped off by one of her starbolts, she was going on about how Avery doesn't deserve you, and how you're just with Avery to get back at her, you know, that same old song and dance, I honestly don't even wanna go home now, I'm thinking about calling Ollie and Dinah and asking them if I could stay with them for a few nights"

"That's actually pretty funny, you'd think I'd be mad, but it's just downright hilarious, I wish I could've been there" I smirked

"Who knew she was a little psycho?" said Dick, trying not to laugh

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad I'm alive to tell the tale" said Roy

"Well, if Ollie can't have you at his place, you're more than welcome to stay with Jason at the manor, you can bunk with him"

"Really?"

"Of course, Roy, we've never had a problem with you, you've taken care of my brother when we couldn't, it's the least we can do to show you our appreciation" said Dick, giving Roy a hug

"Thanks, Dick, and even though you're not with Jason, Avery, I'm glad you found happiness with Dick, I really mean it, and if you ever need me, you know where to reach me" said Roy as he gave both me and Dick a hug

"Thank you, Roy, now go ahead and call Jason to let him know you're on your way, oh, are you gonna go patrol tonight?" asked Dick

"Yeah, but all my equipment is at the house, I'm gonna have to run by there in a bit, if Kor'i is there, I'll have to come up with an excuse to let me off the hook"

"Did you come here walking, last I remember, your car is getting fixed" I said

"Yeah, I came here on taxi, I just had to get away from Starfire, she's been crazy these past days"

"How about if we take you?" I suggested "If Kor'i is there at the house, just tell her that you're gonna stay with Ollie, she shouldn't question you if you're gonna be with Ollie, right?"

"Good idea, Avery" said Roy

"Let's go" I said as Roy and I followed Dick to his car

"Dick, I know we had planned to go to the pier, I just wanted to give Roy a helping hand, you're not upset, are you?" I asked as I pulled him aside

"Of course not, I'm glad we get to help Roy out, he's a good friend of Jason's"

"Thanks babe" I replied giving him a brief kiss on the lips

"Anything for you"

"I just hope that Kor'i doesn't flip her shit when she sees us pull up" I sighed

"Knowing her, she probably will, and she'll just be more troublesome than usual, but we can take her if she gets violent, right?" replied Dick as he grabbed my hand

"You bet your sweet ass we can" I cheered as I smacked Dick in the butt

"Wait until we get home at least, Avery" teased Dick as he leaned down to give me a kiss

"You're so naughty, Richard Grayson" I purred, throwing my arms around his neck, reveling in the kiss

"Guys, it's good that y'all are together and all, but I have somewhere I need to be, remember?" called Roy as he stood in front of the parking lot

"Calm your man-tits, Harper!" I shouted back as me and Dick continued to walk towards the parking lot.

**A/N: I know it's a bit of a short chapter, but I just wanted to add a bit of excitement by cutting the chapter short and adding a bit of a cliffhanger (Sort of), what's gonna happen to the group when they get to The Outlaw's home? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! (Insert evil laughter here) Again, any and all reviews are greatly accepted and appreciated**

**Love & Batman**

**LadyNightwing :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15: Emergency

_'Looks like we have an emergency...'_

_Paramore 'Emergency'_

While we drove to Roy's home, I tried to make conversation with either Dick or Roy, the quiet atmosphere was driving me insane

"So, uh, how are things going with you, Roy? Anything new going on?"

"Not much, really, ever since things went downhill with Jason and you guys, I kept to myself most of the time, I would try to talk to Jason, or try to get him out of the house, but after he almost shot me in the arm, I stayed away from him" Roy replied, giving an awkward chuckle

"One time I actually got the courage to talk to him again, after one of our patrols" continued Roy

"I asked him what was going on, and surprisingly, he told me everything, from beginning to end, how The Joker beat him mercilessly with a crowbar and left him there to die, and how Bruce wasn't able to reach him in time when the warehouse exploded, how Talia Al-Ghul basically revived him by throwing him into the Lazarus Pit, he told me every detail, and I, being the good friend I was, I listened, he finally asked me for advice on what he should do"

"What did you tell him?" I asked

"I told him to go back to the manor and apologize to all of you, including Bruce, he scoffed at me, saying he'd rather be dead then go back and ask for your forgiveness, I told him the same thing every chance I got, but Starfire was a major factor on why it took him so many years to come back to you guys, she would always tell Jason that you and everyone else were the ones that should apologize to him for kicking him out of the manor, that they didn't deserve to know where you were or who you were with, you know, typical Starfire bullshit"

"And he actually listened to her!?" Dick said, surprised

"Believe me, I was shocked as well, at first I thought something was going on between them, like they were together or something, but when I asked Jason about it, he denied it, saying that Kor'i was just being a friend"

"I call bullshit" I said "If I know Kor'i, and I do know her, she was most likely trying to get with Jason to get Dick jealous, Jason isn't that stupid to ignore all the signs"

"I"ve said it before, and I'll say it again, Kor'i can kiss my ass for all I care, and I still wouldn't take her back" scoffed Dick "I won't deny that I loved her so much at one point in my life that I was willing to marry her, despite the other Titans' disapproval, but I went through with it, because like I said, at one point, I was crazy about her, but she left me at the altar, I can never forgive something as big as that, and even though that was years ago when that happened, I still hate her for that"

"Good answer, Grayson" I replied, giving his free hand a swift kiss

"I don't know Dickie, I think Kor'i is slowly going crazy, she told me what she saw when her and Jason went to go see all of you at the manor the other day, she saw you giving Avery a kiss on the forehead, and she went crazy at our house, like I said, I'm thinking about telling Jason to kick her out of the Outlaws for good, at first she was a good partner and friend, but this whole deal with you, Avery and Jason is just really weird"

"I'm not gonna tell you what to do, Harper, that's a decision for only you and Jason to make" I agreed "But like you said, all you need to do is talk with Jason, he'll know what to do"

"Jason also told me that you guys were together, that night he went to see you, he was calling me to let me know he would be staying with you guys at the manor for a few days, and he told me about you and Grayson, he sounded defeated and so down, I felt bad you know? He's my best friend, but I couldn't feel completely bad for him, though, he did leave y'all for 5 years, that's not something that can easily be forgiven"

"You're absolutely right, Harper, it's not something that I could just easily slide off my back" I said, trying not to cry

"But enough of that, we're here Roy" said Dick parking in front of The Outlaws' safe house

"Thanks guys, I'll be right back, okay?" said Roy, quickly jumping out of the vehicle

"Take your time, Roy, we'll wait for you" I said, waving him off

As Roy walked to his home, I looked at Dick, who had a blank stare in his eyes

"Dick, what's wrong?" I asked, trying to pull his face towards me

"I just... A few things that Roy said about Starfire that really got to me"

"Choose your next words carefully, Dick, because what you said just now landed you on thin ice"

"No, it's nothing like that, Avery" Dick laughed

I released a sigh of relief

"What is it then?"

"That whole situation with her convincing Jason to cut off all contact with us for so many years, getting him to actually listen to her, it's just crazy, don't you think?"

Actually, the more I thought about it, Dick did have a point

"You're right, Jason isn't one to obey rules, he usually breaks them, I wonder if Kor'i did something to him" I wondered

"I doubt it, I highly find it hard to believe that Jason could be manipulated by Kor'i, I know she's a bitch, but I don't peg her as the vindictive type" remarked Dick

"She could surprise you, after all, wasn't she the one who came back to apologize and try to get back with you months after she left you stranded at the wedding?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"She could've been using Jason to get back at all of us, because you didn't take her back"

"You think so?" asked Dick, as he took my words into consideration

"I'm just saying it's a probability, a major probability" I told him

"Maybe, you have a point" was all Dick said

We waited for Roy to come back with his equipment when all of a sudden, a bright green light flashed out of Roy's home

"If I'm not mistaken, those lights belong to Kor'i's starbolts, right?" I asked Dick, as I began to worry for Roy's safety

"Stay here, Avery, I'll be right back" said Dick as he took off his seatbelt and began getting out of the car

"Please be careful, Dick" I called after him, hating myself knowing I couldn't help him due to my wound not being completely healed

I looked at what was going on through the front seat window, and from what I could tell, or rather hear, Starfire went crazy and starting shouting nonsense, I then saw Roy and Dick quickly running out of the house to avoid getting hit by one of her bolts, and she went after them, throwing Starbolts left and right, I figured she was cursing in her native Tamaranean, since I couldn't figure out what the hell she was saying, but I could definitely tell she was royally pissed by the looks of it

I got out of the car and began to make my way over to help Roy and Dick, but I figured I'd be live bait, so I hid behind the car and called the manor, hoping that Jason would be home

"Come on, please pick up the phone" I begged, then on the fourth ring, Alfred picked up

"Wayne Residence, this is Alfred Pennyworth speaking"

"Alfred, it's Avery, please get Jason on the phone for me, it's important"

"Is everything alright, Miss Avery?" Alfred asked, worry apparent in his voice

"I'm here at Roy Harper's residence, Strafire has gone crazy, Is Jason home yet? It's important that I talk to him"

"Yes, Miss Avery, Master Jason is home, I'll get him for you"

"Thank you, Alfred"

While I waited for Alfred to get Jason on the phone, I looked over the car and saw that Starfire had now gotten into a full blown fight with both Dick and Roy

I quickly ducked back down to my hiding spot behind the car when I heard Jason's voice on the other line

"Hello, Avery?"

"Jason we have an emergency, get the boys and come over to the safe house right away, Starfire has lost her damn mind, she's fighting both Roy and Dick, get over here right now!" I hissed, hoping Starfire wouldn't hear me

"What the hell were you guys doing over there in the first place?" Jason shouted

"We were doing Roy a favor, now if you could please get here with Damian and Tim, I'd greatly appreciate it"

"Yeah, sure, we're on our way, we were just getting ready to go on patrol anyway"

"Hurry up, please" I then hung up, not caring to hear what else he had to say

I looked back up to see what else was happening, which proved to be a mistake, because Starfire caught me

"She dares show her face here!?" Starfire growled as she threw Roy off to the side like a rag doll, now making her way towards me

"Starfire" Dick shouted, running after her "Leave Avery alone"

"No" said Starfire, lifting Dick up, then throwing him across the yard "I've been waiting to get my hands on you since that beating you gave me that day in the bar parking lot, now I have you, weakened and with no one to help you"

I scoffed and got up and made my way towards her, ignoring the small hole in my stomach

"I may be injured, but I'm far from weak" I replied smugly, getting into a fighting stance

"Foolish girl" mocked Starfire, as she aimed a punch at my side, I quickly dodged it, but soon regretted it, feeling a sharp pain in my abdominal area

"You're not completely healed, it seems, this should be quite easy" teased Starfire as she caught me off-guard, lifting me up by the neck

"You will pay for taking Richard away from me, and for humiliating me, I've been waiting too long for this moment, and I'll be damned if I let the opportunity pass me by" growled Starfire as she kept adding more pressure to my neck, I could hardly breathe anymore, and my vision was getting blurry, tears burned my eyes

I tried to find Dick or Roy, but they were probably still unconscious from Starfire's attack, so with what little strength I had, I called out for help, hoping anyone could hear me

I was slowly passing out from the lack of oxygen, until I felt Starfire's grip loosen and I was released, landing hard on the cobblestone ground

I was still weak from the oxygen loss, but I managed to see Red Hood attacking Starfire

"Avery, are you okay?" I think that was Robin, but I wasn't sure, I couldn't lift my head up without wincing in pain

"Robin?"

"Yes, it's me, Robin, come on, let's get you to the jet" I then felt Robin put my arm around his shoulder to help me walk towards Red Robin's jet

"Can you speak?" asked Robin

"Can't... throat hurts... too much" I croaked, trying not to cry out from the pain

"We'll get you looked after, let's just get you to the jet"

"What about... Dick?"

"Red Robin is looking after him and Harper, they'll be okay"

We finally arrived at the jet, Robin placed me in the emergency bed that Red Robin had installed for major injuries

"Stay here, I'm gonna help Red Hood and the others, okay? I'll be back" said Robin as he took out his sword and began running out towards the others

I felt so weak and pathetic, getting caught off-guard by Starfire was something I could never forgive myself for, it was stupid of me to ignore my surroundings, now I couldn't help my brothers against that psychotic bitch

It wasn't long before though darkness completely surrounded me.

"Avery... Avery, come on wake up!"

'Who is that calling my name?' I wondered

I opened my eyes and saw a bright light hurting my eyes, so I shut my eyes again

"Dim the lights down, Damian, she's awake" I heard someone say, then as if in a flash, I remembered everything that happened, Dick and Roy fighting Starfire, then Starfire attacking me, I remembered all of it

Then I saw Dick and the others surrounding me around the bed, and I quickly jumped up and threw my arms around Dick

"Are you... okay?" I meekly asked, my voice still weakened

"I'm fine, just a few injured ribs, nothing big, how's your throat?" Dick asked, gently combing some of my hair out of my face

"It... hurts to... talk"

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you, Avery, it's all my fault" said Dick as he grabbed me by the waist, hugging me tightly

"It's not... your fault"

"We're here at the manor already, can you walk on your own, Avery?" asked Jason as he took off his mask

"Yeah" was all I said and began to walk out of the jet with the guys following suit

"Where's... Damian?" I asked, looking everywhere for my youngest sibling

"He was quite upset that Starfire hurt you, so he gave her quite the beating" said Tim as he unmasked himself

"Seriously?"

"It took both me and Jason to get him away from her, he almost killed her"

"I wish... he had"

"Don't tell Dick or anyone else, but I wish the same thing, Avery"

I tried to laugh at Tim's confession, but it hurt my throat like hell

"He probably went up to his room already, more than likely he's extremely angry" replied Tim

"I don't... blame him"

I went up to my room and began to take off my clothes, looking for my sleeping clothes, when I noticed myself in the mirror, I saw the handmarks Starfire made and how they were quickly turning into a blackish-blue color

Then I took a shower to relieve all the stress and dirt off me, hoping the hot water would soothe my aching throat, after I washed my hair, I then turned off the shower knobs and climbed out of the shower, drying off and putting on my underwear and pyjamas then heading to bed

"Avery? It's Dick, can I come in?" I quickly jumped out of bed and opened the door to let him in

When he walked inside, I took his hand and led him to my bed

"I guess you want me to stay with you again tonight?" Dick joked as he climbed into bed with me

"Please... hold me" I squeaked as I wrapped my arms around his waist and placed my head on his chest

I then felt him wrap his legs around mine and wrapped his arms around my own waist, his chin on top of my head

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from Starfire, I'm so sorry" whispered Dick as he kissed my hair

"All that matters... is that... you're here with me... now" I whispered back, rolling over to face him

"I love you so much, Avery"

"I love you more, Richard Grayson... and no one, not even Starfire... is going to change that"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16: Time Alone

I was soundly asleep until I heard Dick's voice interrupting my slumber

"Go back to sleep, I'm still tired" I groaned, nuzzling into his chest

"Your voice is back to normal, that's good" noticed Dick, wrapping his arm around me

"Yeah, I'm glad" I said, trying to get some sleep

"Avery?"

"What is it, Dick?"

"We finally have some time alone, the boys all went out to go paintballing"

"What do you have in mind, Boy Wonder?"

"I wanted to show you last night, but we kinda got preoccupied with Starfire"

I scowled at her name "Stupid bitch caught me off guard, next time I see her I'm kicking her ass back to her native planet"

"She's not worth it, Avery" Dick replied as he rubbed my back soothingly

"The hell do you mean 'she's not worth it' Grayson!" I exclaimed, sitting up

"Do you not see the bruises she left on my neck and you're telling me 'she's not worth it'!?"

"Avery, calm down please" pleaded Dick, taking my face in his hands

"I never felt so weak and helpless in all my life, and you know how I hate feeling like that, Dick, I hated how she held me by the neck, I felt as if she was going to snap it in half and kill me right then and there, and you were unconscious, I couldn't help you or Roy, I hated feeling so belittled" I cried, wiping my tears swiftly from my eyes

Dick held me as I kept on crying "Shh, it's okay, Avery, let it out, babe" I held on tightly to him as I let out all my frustrations and anger, banging my small fists into Dick's chest

"I swear, Dick, if I ever see her, I will get back at her, I promise you I will" I swore, swiping the last of my tears away angrily

"Don't think about her now, she's old news" said Dick as he pulled me back down towards him, his lips pressing against mine

I leaned into the kiss, my eyes slowly closing as I felt Dick's hands roaming on my back, towards my ass, causing me to give out a delighted moan

He briefly removed his lips from mine as he whispered my name over and over, as if in a prayer

I ran my nails down his back, eliciting a moan from him as well, he rolled me over so I was on the bottom and he was on top of me, he looked at me with such love and adoration, I couldn't help but blush like a little schoolgirl

"You're beautiful, Avery, and you're mine, all mine"

I smiled "I only belong to you, Golden Boy, no one else, and you belong to me as well"

"No one else" finished Dick as he continued to assault my lips, I ran my hand through his jet black hair, enjoying the sensation as Dick's lips roamed from my own lips to my neck, my chest, my jaw, every place Dick's lips touched, I felt as if I was on fire

"Keep this up, Golden Boy, and I may not be able to control myself" I groaned as I felt Dick taking off my shirt and bra in one fell swoop

"You're pushing your luck, Boy Wonder" I hissed, pressing my nails against Dick's back, causing him to groan in pleasure before he attacked my chest and breasts with kisses, I felt like I was about to explode from the exhilaration I was feeling, then I lifted myself up and threw Dick down on the bed, getting on top of him

I then removed his tank top and began trailing kisses down his chest towards his stomach, and I had finally reached the hem of his boxers, I was about to remove them when someone knocked at the door

_'You have got to be kidding me'_ I thought as I quickly used my blankets to cover my half naked body

"Who is it?" I called

"Avery open the door, it's Tim"

I looked over to Dick "I thought you said the boys had gone out to play paintball"

"That's what Jason texted me earlier this morning, maybe Tim didn't wanna go" wondered Dick as he went to go open the door

"Hey, Av-" Tim stopped mid-sentence as he saw Dick opening the door

"You're not Avery" said Tim, as he looked at Dick

"Nope, I thought you were going paintballing with the guys" replied Dick

"Nah, that really isn't my thing" answered Tim as he tried to look for me

"What did you want Avery for, Timmy?" asked Dick

"Well, I figure since you're here in her room doing God knows what, I should leave it for later" said Tim as he began to make his way back to his room

"Wait, Timmy, come back" I called as I pulled my bra and shirt back on

I then heard Tim's steps walking back to my room

"What did you wanna ask me, Timmy?" I asked, as I peeked over Dick's arm to see him

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to take a swim with me at the pool, but I saw that Dick was here as well, so I just decided to come back later"

"Oh, well you should've said that from the beginning, Timmy, I'd love to go take a swim with you, baby bro, just let me get into my bathing suit" I said as I went to go change into my swimsuit

"Dick, you're tagging along, right?" asked Tim

"Sure, little bro"

"You guys go on ahead, I'll meet up with you at the pool" I said, pushing them out the door

I went to my drawer and took out my plain black two-piece swimsuit and began undressing then putting my bathing suit on

I was on my way to the pool when I saw Alfred coming out of the kitchen

"Hey, Alfred" I greeted

"Hello, Miss Avery, taking a dip in the pool with the boys, I see?"

"Yeah, if you need us, you know where to find us"

I then went to the backyard, where I saw Dick and Tim already racing laps at the pool, I just layed down on a nearby lawn chair and watched them play around in the water

"Hey, Avery come on, get inside the water's fine" called Dick as he splashed some water towards me

"In a bit, Dickie, I just wanna sunbathe a bit" I said as I went to lean back on the chair

I was relaxing, enjoying the sun on my body, until I heard silent laughter, I looked up to find Tim and Dick with wicked grins in their features

"What are you doing?" I asked

"GET HER!" shouted Tim as he and Dick lifted me from the chair and took me to the edge of the pool

"Grayson, if you as much as throw me into the pool, you can forget about getting a repeat of this morning, you hear me?" I growled, making sure I got my point across

"I can deal with that" said Dick as he threw me into the pool

I got the breath knocked out of me and I quickly swam up for air

"You assholes!" I screeched, fisting my hands in anger

"We're sorry, Avery, I suggested it to Dick, I just didn't think he'd take me seriously" said Tim, wiping away tears of laughter

"You're gonna regret it" I said as I grabbed both boys legs and threw them into the pool with me

"How do you like that?" I laughed as the boys came up to the surface

"Not cool" said Dick as he splashed me

I swam away from them, thankful my wound was slowly healing up

"Avery come on, we're gonna dive towards the deep end" called Tim as he swam towards the diving board

"You guys go on ahead, I just wanna swim here a bit more"

"Alright, but don't take too long babe" called Dick

"Okay" I just stayed in the shallow end, just having my own fun in the water

As I swam around I heard the door to the backyard open and Alfred walked in, followed by Jason, Damian and Roy, Alfred placed a pitcher of lemonade and some plastic glasses then went back inside to the manor

"Hey guys!" I greeted as they walked towards me

"Mind if we join you?" asked Roy, he was already in his swimming trunks, and so were the others

"Sure, the more the merrier" I said as Roy and the other boys jumped in

"Hey guys, how was paintball?" asked Tim as he swam up beside me

"It was rather entertaining" replied Damian as he threw water on his hair

"Yeah, but it got boring after a while so we decided to head back here, Alfred told us you were here at the pool so we decided to join y'all" said Jason as he splashed Roy with water

"Who wants to play chicken?" asked Roy as he lifted Jason onto his shoulders

"Bro, I feel awkward being on top of you like this" Jason replied as he squirmed around Roy's shoulders

"Shut up, Jason, you wanna play Avery?"

"Nah, let me call Dick and ask him, he'll probably want to play"

"What is this game of 'chicken' you speak of?" asked Damian

I forgot that Damian was still unaware of things such as 'playing around' or 'having fun' so I explained to him the rules of the game and told him what was allowed and what wasn't

Moments later, Dick appeared behind me with his arms wrapped around me

"Wanna play chicken, Grayson?" asked Damian

"Sure, little D, get on top of my shoulders" Dick lifted Damian and placed him on top of his shoulders, facing Roy and Jason

"Are both teams ready?" I called

"Ready when you are, Dickie" said Jason

"I'm ready, Jay"

"Jason, be careful with Damian, please" I said, reminding him not to go rough on Damian

"Alrighty, Avery"

"On your mark... get set... GO!"

Then the boys began to grapple each other, as Jason tried to knock Damian onto the water, but Damian wouldn't budge, his little legs wrapped tightly around Dick

"Come on, Todd, down you go" groaned Damian as he did everything he could to toss Jason down, but neither man nor child were giving up

"Dude, loosen your hold on me, Jason, I can't breathe" said Roy as he used his arms to loosen Jason's grip

Jason looked down at Roy, who was trying to stay standing, when Damian used all of his strength to knock and unsuspecting Jason down into the water

"And the winner is... the team of Dick Grayson-Wayne and Damian Wayne!" I announced as I lifted both of their arms in victory

"Aw, damn it Damian, you blind-sided me!" whined Jason

"You shouldn't have been distracted, Todd"

Both teams shook hands on a good game and we just continued to swim until it was time to head back inside

Once it was time to go back in, I grabbed one of the many towels that Alfred had left for me and the boys and began to dry myself off completely before heading back inside

I grabbed myself a glass of lemonade and stayed outside after everyone had gone back inside

"Aren't you heading back inside?" asked Dick, appearing behind me, a towel over his head

"Not yet, it's very nice out, there's a good breeze, and it's quiet, just how I like it"

"May I join you?"

"I'd be insulted if you didn't, Mr. Grayson"

Dick then sat next to me by the poolside, fingers interlacing with mine

"You're right, it is nice out" agreed Dick

"Let's just stay here until Alfred calls us in for dinner" I said, placing my head on his shoulder

"Say, Avery?"

"Yes, babe?"

"I wanted to tell you, earlier this morning when I was checking my phone, I saw on my calendar that there's a fundraiser tomorrow at the Gotham Country Club to raise money for the hospital and I have to go in Bruce's place, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to go with me?"

"I'd love to go with you tomorrow, Dickie" I smiled as I kissed his shoulder

"Thank you, it'll most likely be us going, I know Jason and the others aren't into that sort of thing"

I giggled "Can you really imagine Damian being still for ten minutes in what he calls a 'monkey suit'?"  
>"Yeah, he'd be itching to hurt someone as soon as we arrived" said Dick<p>

"What time is it?" I asked

"It's still early" said Dick "It's almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon"

"Good" I replied "Because you're gonna take me right now to find a dress and shoes for tomorrow"

I stood up and began walking with Dick behind me

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?" asked Dick

"Not if you like seeing me naked, you won't" that got his attention and he began picking up his pace

Dick and I went to our separate bedrooms to shower and get dressed, I only took a quick shower, washed my hair and rinsed my body and then stepped out of the shower, I quickly put a clean bra and underwear and some khaki shorts and a black shirt with my black vans and then waited for Dick to come out of his room

I was changing the ringtone on my phone when I saw Dick opening the door to my room

"You ready?" he asked, dressed in khaki cargo shorts and a black shirt

"Hey we're matching" I noticed, Dick looked at his outfit and smiled

"Let's go, princess" said Dick as we walked out of the room hand in hand.

**A/N: Double whammy today! Two chapters in one day! How awesome am I? Lol jk, I'm anything but awesome, but I wrote one chapter last night and I wrote this one just a few hours ago, and since I already uploaded the other chapter, all I had to do was upload this one, so I hope you enjoy this special treat from me to you, and remember to please review! It would be greatly appreciated, next chapter will definitely have lots of fluff and sappy moments, so watch out for that, but until then, READ AND REVIEW, POR FAVOR!**

**LadyNightwing :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17: Shit's About To Go Down

When we arrived at the mall, the first place I took Dick to look for dresses was Neiman-Marcus, I was so happy that I finally had a reason to go shopping.

"This store should have a really pretty dress for me to wear tomorrow" I said to Dick as I walked towards all the fancy dresses

"Whatever you wear, you'll look drop-dead gorgeous, Avery" said Dick as he took a seat by the women's shoes

I began my search for a dress, some of them were really beautiful, but they were awful in color, I then went to another rack to look at other dresses, and I saw some really cute gowns that caught my eye

"I found some dresses, I'm gonna go try them out, okay Dickie?" I called as I made my way to the fitting rooms

"Let me know if you need help" said Dick as he winked at me

"Mm, you'd want that, wouldn't you?" I teased, as I walked into a fitting room

I took off my shirt and shorts, and tried the first gown, a simple, strapless black number with a slit that reached my knees

I then walked out of the room and called Dick to give me his opinion

"Hey, Dickie, what do you think?" I asked as I twirled around for him, showing him the dress

"It's a nice dress, but not really your type" he said, as he examined the dress

"Alright, I'll go try out another one" I went back to the fitting room, and tried out another gown, this one was a cream-colored floor-length, strapless, but still fitting, I put it on, and I liked it, but I still wanted to get Dickie's opinion

"Okay, how about this one?" I asked, stepping out of the room

"No, sorry, babe, try again"

"Seriously?" I groaned, but went back to the fitting room to try another dress

I grabbed the third one, and boy did I fall in love with this dress, it was a vintage, strapless, crimson-red, full-skirt floor-length dress (I have a thing for strapless dresses, okay?)

I put it on and then walked out of the room to get Dick's response

"Okay, what about this one?" I asked, standing in front of him

Dick looked up from his phone and his jaw dropped,_ 'a good response'_ I thought as I inwardly smirked in satisfaction

"I take it you like the dress?" I pondered

"This is the dress" Dick said as he took me in his arms

"Third time's a charm, right?" I laughed

"Indeed, it is"

"I didn't think red would be a good color on me" I said as I looked at my dress

"Oh, believe me, it is a really good color on you" said Dick

"Alright, so we found the dress, let's go find the shoes" I replied gleefully as I went back to change into my regular outfit

Moments later, I went through almost every shoe aisle at the store to find a perfect pair of shoes to go with my dress, even Dick was helping me look

"Ugh, almost a thousand pair of shoes and none seem to go with the dress, what the hell?" I whined, sitting down at a nearby bench

"We can always look somewhere else, let's just pay for the dress, then go to the shoe store a few steps from here

"Alright, come on" we then walked to the nearest register and payed for the dress, which cost almost $600.00, I almost face-palmed at the price, but Dick assured me that it was okay, I told him he's being way too nice about this

"It's just a dress, Avery, and besides, it didn't even make a dent on my card"

"Yeah, but Dick, I mean, I just don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of you" I suddenly felt guilty, I don't know if it was because of the cost of the dress, or just because I just simply felt guilty for using Dick's hard-earned money, but I felt horrible

"Avery, listen to me, please don't feel bad, I want to do this for you, I really do, money doesn't mean everything to me, you know? Look at me" I then meekly looked at him, his wonderful oceanic blue eyes, his warm smile, good heavens, this man is gorgeous!

"If you say so, Dick" I replied, looking back down

"Come on, let's go get your shoes" Dick said as he took my hand and led me out of the store

We then went to a shoe store where they sold brand-name shoes for discount prices, called 'Shoes 4 Less' and we began to look for the perfect shoes to go with my dress

I came across a pair of black, high-heeled shoes with a golden ankle strap, I tried them on, and I liked them instantly, I showed the shoes to Dick and he seemed to like them as well, so he bought them for me, well it seemed I was done shopping for tomorrow night, but Dick still needed to buy his tuxedo for the event

"I do have one at home, but it's been worn so many times, it's embarassing, I'll just get a find myself a new one" said Dick as we entered The Men's Wearhouse

"Good thing you have me, as well, I sure as hell won't be letting you wear just any tux, you know that right?" I said in a playful tone

"God forbid I look like Harvey Dent" whined Dick, we looked around at various tuxedos, but none of them caught our eye, Dick wandered to one side of the store, while I stayed in the other side, checking out all the various suits and tuxedos

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm Tom, the store manager, can I help you with something?" asked a man with gray hair wearing black slacks and a white long-sleeved shirt

"Oh, yes, I'm looking for a tuxedo, my boyfriend and I are going to a fundraiser tomorrow and his old tux is already worn down, can you recommend me something?"

"What is your boyfriend's size, ma'am?"

"Let me ask him" I quickly took out my phone and sent him a message

"He's on the other side of the store, he'll text me in a moment" I explained as the older man showed me various styles of tuxedos

But instead of texting me, Dick showed up with a few suits to try on

"Excuse me, sir, where are your fitting rooms?" Tom looked away from the tuxes he was looking at, and saw the ones Dick was holding in his arms, he quickly took away some of them away from him

Dick just looked at me in confusion, I just turned around to look at more suits, at the same time I was trying to stifle the fits of giggles I was having

Tom looked around and saw a few that he liked and handed them to Dick, then he led him to the fitting rooms, with me close behind

Dick went in and began to try the first of seven suits Tom gave him, and I patiently waited for him to come out while I was on my phone

"Avery, you out there?" called Dick

"Yeah, babe, you ready to come out and show me the first tux?"

"Yeah, hold on" Dick then came out with an all black tux, with the exception of the white shirt, I was about to say he looked really good in it, but Tom interrupted me

"No, sir, please try another one, that one is just not you" I looked at Tom in utter bewilderment,_ 'I thought he looked dashing in it'_ I wondered, but then again, I figured, Tom does work here, he knows what he's doing better than I do_ 'Or he's just gay and likes looking at Dick in a tuxedo, I don't blame him though, Dick looks good in anything he wears'_

Dick went back inside to try a different tuxedo on, and when he came out, both Tom and I agreed in what Dick wore, it was an all-black one-button notch lapel black slim tuxedo

"A fine choice, young man, do you like it?" asked Tom as he looked at Dick with a pleased look on his face

"I do, what about you, Avery?" asked Dick, as he looked at me

"I love it, Golden Boy, it looks amazing on you" I complimented, to which Dick gave me a bashful smile

"I'll take it, then" said Dick as he went back to change into his regular clothes

As Dick changed back into his clothes, I got a phone call, hoping it wasn't Kor'i, I checked my caller ID, it read 'Jason Todd'

"Jason, what's up?" I answered

"Hey, Avery, where are you and Dick?"

"We're here at the mall, Dick has to go to a fundraiser tomorrow in dad's place, so we're looking for a tux for him to wear"

"So that's where you guys ran off to" laughed Jason

"Where did you think we ran off to?" I asked, getting suspicious

"Don't worry about it, but hey, can I go with you guys tomorrow?"

"You wanna go tomorrow with me and Dick?" I asked in surprise

"Yeah, I figured I could hang out with you two since I've been hanging out with Tim and Damian almost all week"

"I don't have a problem with you going, but talk to Dick to make sure"

"Sure, where is he?"

"Hold on, he's just getting out of the dressing room" I replied, as I turned to face Dick who had just given his tux to Tom

"Dick, Jason's on the phone for you, he wants to ask you something" I said, handing Dickie my phone

"Hey, little brother, what can I help you with?" Dick greeted happily

As Dick listened, I went to the register where Tom was putting away Dick's tuxedo in a black garment bag

"I don't mind you coming with us, but do you have a suit you can wear?" Dick asked as he took out his wallet and gave Tom his credit card

"Alright, just ask Alfred if he can have it altered for you, okay, see you in a bit, bye"

Tom then gave Dick his credit card back and the receipt for him to sign, Dick the signed it, got his own receipt and after thanking Tom for his help, we left to go get something to eat

"Well, Jason wants to tag along tomorrow, I told him it was fine if he came along, he just has to get his suit fixed"

"It won't be so boring if he comes with us, he can give some of those snotty idiots something to talk about" I said as we stopped at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants, Lucky Buddha

"Just get me what you're getting and a Dr. Pepper, I'll get us somewhere to sit" I told Dick as I went to go find us a table

A while went on and I was waiting on Dick when he finally showed up with our food and drinks

"Did I take long?" asked Dick as he handed me my plate of food

"Not really" I said as I took out the fork and napkin from the plastic bag

"Let's eat" I replied as I dug in, slurping up some of the noodles

While we ate, Dick told me about why Jason wanted to accompany us to tomorrow's fundraiser

"He told me that because he's already spent most of the week with Timmy and Damian, he just wanted to spend time with us now" I explained, grabbing a piece of sweet and sour chicken

"I do feel bad for just assuming he wouldn't want to go with us, I should've asked him if he wanted to come" said Dick, taking a sip of his coke

"Well, the good thing about him coming with us, is that old hag Mrs. Williams won't even think twice about talking shit about us, last time she was at the New Year's Eve dinner, I almost slapped the hell out of the old bat"

"I remember that, she was calling all of us 'charity cases' because Bruce adopted us, saying that you were the only one who was worthy of having the blood of a true Wayne, Bruce just walked away, but Jason almost got all of us banned for life because he stepped on her toes and called her an old mummy" said Dick as he laughed at the memory

"Daddy had to get you to hold me back from attacking her when he noticed me beginning to take off my earrings" I added, smiling fondly

"That's right" said Dick "I remember Bruce telling you that you were truly Selina Kyle's daughter" Dick remembered, we then ate the last remaining pieces of food, then went to throw away our plates, and made our way back to the parking lot

As we walked towards Dick's car, I held onto all the bags while Dick took out his car keys, as he turned off the car alarm he unlocked the back door and helped me load all the bags inside.

We got inside the car then Dick started the car and began the drive home.

I reached over and turned on the radio to my favorite rock station, 101.1 Gotham' #1 Rock Station, and I was happy when the first song they were playing was Shinedown's 'The Crow and The Butterfly' I sang along and Dick would watch me every once in a while as I sang

"You should really think about becoming a singer, you're really good babe" said Dick as he made the turn onto the hidden road that led us home

"I have thought about it, but I'm not sure yet" I told him as the song ended

A few minutes later, we were driving up to the gates of Wayne manor, Dick rolled down his window to punch in the password to let us in, the gates opened and Dick drove to the garage

We finally arrived and I got out of the car and went to the car's trunk to get out our shopping bags, I handed Dick his garment bag and I took my dress and walked to the manor

"How was your shopping trip, Miss Avery?" asked Alfred as he appeared in the kitchen door wearing an apron

"We had a fun time, did my brothers give you a hard time?" I asked as I placed my bags over my shoulder

"Not at all, Miss" said Alfred as Dick appeared behind me and took my bags for me

"I'll put them in your room" said Dick as he made his way upstairs

"Hey, Avery, how was your day with Boy Wonder?" asked Roy as he walked out of the living room, Jason walking behind him

"It was fun, Roy, thanks for asking, what are you guys up to?" I wondered as I went to grab an apple off of the fruit basket

"We were training in the Batcave, getting ready for tonight's patrol" said Jason as he also took an apple from the fruit basket

"I wish I could go tonight, but I'm still not given the 'go-ahead'" I remarked, taking a bite of my apple

"Miss Thompkins says that you should be able to resume your duties as Catwoman in five more days" said Alfred as he gave me and the boys a glass of Iced Tea

"That's good, I miss wearing that suit" I sighed

"I miss seeing you in that suit" said Roy, to which me and Jason responded by slapping him in the back of the head

"What!? It's a compliment!" whined Roy as he rubbed the back of his head

"Just be glad Dick didn't hear you saying that" I told him

"Oh, I heard him, I just thought that what Jason and Avery did to you was punishment enough" said Dick as he walked into the kitchen and sat next to me

"Did Alfred agree to fix your suit tomorrow?" Dick asked, looking at Jason

"Yeah, he'll start on it tomorrow morning"

"Speaking of tomorrow morning, I gotta make an appointment to get my hair done" I said as I made a mental note to call my favorite hair stylist, Matty

"Well, it's almost 9 so we'll start getting ready for patrol, Damian and Tim are already suiting up, we better start suiting up as well, see you guys later tonight or tomorrow" said Jason as he and Roy left to the Batcave

"Miss Avery, Master Richard, would you like some cookies?" asked Alfred as he took out a tray of freshly-made chocolate chip cookies out of the oven

"Oh, bless your heart, Alfred, of course I'd love to have some of your cookies" I chirped as I reached over and took one from the tray, of course I instantly forgot that Alfred had just taken them out of the oven and I ended up burning two of my fingers

"Damn it" I hissed as went over to the kitchen sink and ran cool water over my burned fingers

"You should be careful next time, Avery" warned Dick as he grabbed a cookie

"Shut up" I told him as I turned off the tap then went back to sit with Dick

I grabbed my cookie and began to eat it, after eating my first cookie, I grabbed another one

"So, you excited for tomorrow, Avery?" asked Dick as he took a drink of his Iced Tea

"Kind of, I'm really looking forward to seeing Dr. Thompkins and Mr. Esposito there, they always treated me and my dad with true respect and they always valued the help Wayne Enterprises gave the hospital, not like the other people who just want their fifteen minutes of fame"

"And knowing Jason will be there as well is also fun, he can keep the troublemakers in line for us" added Dick, chuckling

"Alright, young ones, off to bed you go, you have a busy day tomorrow, go get some rest" said Alfred as he shooed us out of the kitchen, I waved at him then followed Dick upstairs

"You wanna stay in my room tonight?" asked Dick as he wrapped his arms around me

"Is that a rhetorical question, Grayson?" I grinned

"You can say that" laughed Dick, kissing my cheek

"Let me just take a shower, then I'll come over"

"Don't keep me waiting, dear" said Dick as he gently shoved me towards my room, smacking my butt

I walked into my room and began to take off my clothes and headed to the bathroom, getting the water started

Stepping into the shower, I turned the showerhead on and let the water spray my hair and the unreachable parts of my body, I then grabbed some shampoo and put some in my hair, letting it get completely covered in shampoo, then I rinsed it off and added some conditioner, a bit later I washed it off then rinsed off my body, then I turned off the shower then stepped out

I dried off and walked to my room, getting a clean bra and panties I put them on and then put one of my dad's Batman shirts on and some sleeping shorts, then making sure I wasn't forgetting anything, I closed my bedroom door and walked to Dick's room

Knocking on his door, letting him know it was me, Dick then opened the door and pulled me in, quickly taking my face and assaulting my lips in a heated kiss

"Someone's in a hurry" I said as his lips roamed from my lips to my neck, his hands quickly taking off my dad's shirt off me, I let my hands wander everywhere they could reach, feeling Dick's skin on my fingertips was an experience I would never get tired of

"Let's go to bed" said Dick

God knows I wanted to take it farther, but I wanted it to be extra special, something that I would remember for the rest of my life, but I knew that tonight was not the night, so after a heavy make-out session, I felt Dick grab my waist and pull me towards him, I wrapped my legs around his, and felt his breathing go steady, letting me know he was already asleep

And with a final kiss to his cheek, I fell asleep soon after him.

**THE NEXT DAY**

I woke up to Dick's alarm clock and I lazily reached over to turn off the dreaded sound

"It's 7:45 a.m., rise and shine Avery! Today is a busy day" said Dick as he walked out of his bathroom

"Ugh, I have to call Matty to get my hair done" I groaned as I stood up from the bed, looking around for my dad's shirt

"Don't worry about it, I already called him, he said he'll take you at 12:15 later this afternoon" said Dick as he towel dried his hair

"Thanks babe, at what time exactly is the event?" I asked, as Dick lifted me from his bed, my legs wrapping around his waist

"It starts at exactly 7 p.m., but it's best to be there ten minutes early" said Dick, kissing my neck

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go brush my teeth, then we'll go eat breakfast with our brothers and Roy downstairs, how does that sound?" I said as I unwrapped my legs from Dick's waist and he placed me on the floor

"Sounds like a plan" said Dick, as he turned on his television and layed back in bed

"I'll be back" I found my dad's shirt and put it on before I left Dick's room

After I was done brushing my teeth and finding pair of jeans and a black shirt to wear, I went to get Dick so we could eat breakfast with the others

"Dick, come on, let's go get some breakfast" I called, knocking on his door, Dick came out wearing a gray shirt and black cargo shorts, then we walked downstairs to the kitchen hand-in-hand

"Good Morning, everyone" I greeted as I sat down on the front of the table, Dick seating across from me

Alfred began serving us and we all began to eat soon after

"Ah, before I forget, Master Jason, your suit is all done, all you have to do is pick it up from my room when you're done eating breakfast, I attached your name to the garment bag"

"Thank you, Alfred" said Jason as he took a bite of is toast

Breakfast went well, Tim and Damian told us about their patrol last night and how they nabbed a crook trying to steal a valuable item from the Gotham Fine Arts Museum

Jason and Roy took care of some wanna-be bad guys trying to take advantage of a teenage girl walking home from her job, Roy offered her a ride home and Jason went and took the guys to the police headquarters and had them arrested

"Sounds like you guys were busy last night" said Dick as he finished his eggs

"It was a piece of cake" said Jason

"Drake is becoming more bearable, so that must be a good thing, I guess" replied Damian, putting his napkin on the table

"Gee, thanks for the compliment, Damian" said Tim, his sarcasm apparent

"Well, if you need me, I'll be playing video games in Grayson's bedroom" I told everyone as I got up and began to walk towards Dick's bedroom

"Avery, wait up!" called Jason as he ran up to me

"Hey, what's up?" I asked as I stopped halfway through the stairs

"About tonight, I just wanted to say thanks for letting me come with you guys, it means a lot"

I smiled "Don't mention it, Jaybird, I'm actually glad you get to come, you could be like our bodyguard in case Mrs. Williams decides to grace us with her presence"

"That old bat's still kicking?" Jason asked, bewildered

"Unfortunately, but with you around us, she'll be sure to mind her manners" I smirked

"You can count on me, Avery" said Jason as I pulled him into a hug

I felt Jason's arms wrap around me, then quickly loosened

"What's with the hugfest going on?" asked Dick as he walked up the stairs

"Jason was just saying thanks for allowing him to accompany us to the fundraiser tonight" I told Dick as I wrapped myself around him

"About that, Jason, I'm sorry I never asked you in the first place, I had just assumed you didn't like going to these kinds of events" Dick said putting his hand on Jason's shoulder

"It's not that I don't like going to those events, Goldie, I just hate some of the people that go to those events, Mrs. Williams, to be specific, if I even see her making her way towards us, she's gonna regret it"

"Alright, well, I was washing dishes with Alfred, and he told me to tell you to go pick up your suit, wait do you have shoes?" asked Dick

"They're really worn down, I was going to ask Alfred to take me to go buy some for cheap"

"Nah, I have some you can use, just let me know when you want them"

"Alright, well I'm going downstairs and play Call of Duty with Roy, see ya in a bit" waved Jason, running down to the living room

"Come on, babe, let's go to your room" I said, taking Dick's hand and walking up to the room

Once inside Dick's room, I laid down on his bed, enjoying his scent surrounding all of my senses

I was about to pull Dick down to the bed when I heard his phone

"Hello? Oh hey Bruce, how's Beijing?"

My eyes lit up as I heard my dad's name

"Yeah, everything's going fine, Avery is in my room, you wanna talk with her?"

Dick then handed me his phone and I spoke to my dad

"Avery" my eyes brimmed with tears

"Daddy, how are you?" I asked, happy knowing I was finally talking with my father

"I'm fine, sweetie, how are the boys, are they giving you any trouble?"

"No, dad, not at all, Alfred's been a big help"

"What about Jason?"

"Daddy, he came back, our Jaybird came back just like we said he would" I told him, a big smile on my face

"Thank God" said Dad, his voice trying not to crack

"He's been wanting to talk to you for a while now, he's staying with us here at the manor, him and Roy Harper, actually" I informed him

"Why's that?" asked father

"Long story, it'd be best if I told you the story when you come back home"

"I just wanted to remind you and Dick to be on your best behavior tonight at the fundraiser, and please do your best to ignore Mrs. Williams"

"Father, you know as well as I do that we do nothing to instigate Mrs. Williams"

"I know, honey, anyways I gotta go, Cassandra is calling me, tell Jason I'll call him tomorrow, I love you, and tell the boys I love them too"

"I will father, I love you too, say hello to Cassandra for me, please" I said

"I surely will, I'll be home in two weeks" said Dad

"Alright, take care, bye" as I hung up, Dick smiled and laid next to me, playing with strands of my hair

"You do know he's asking for the impossible by asking us to ignore Mrs. Williams, right?" teased Dick, kissing my neck

"He knows, I'm just happy I got to talk to him after so much time not hearing from him, I'm just happy he's doing okay"

"It's 11:20 a.m., what do you wanna do before I go to take you to get your hair done?"

"I just wanna lay here with you" I grinned, combing some of his hair out of his eyes

"I'm really excited for tonight, I get to show off the most beautiful girl in all of Gotham"

I blushed "Oh, stop it you!"

"But seriously though, you're hot, compared to the other plastic girls here in Gotham City, you're a straight ten!" said Dick, giving me a kiss on my nose

"You're so sweet, lover boy" I told him as I snuggled into him, feeling his warmth

"I love you, Avery Selina Wayne-Kyle"

"And I love you, Richard John Grayson-Wayne"

Time passed as we just remained quiet, in each other's arms, Dick was holding me

"As much as I want to stay here with you, we gotta get up, you know Matty doesn't like it when people are late to their hair appointments" I told Dick, standing from the bed

"Alright, let's go, it's almost noon anyway" said Dick as he grabbed his car keys from his bedside table, I went to my room to grab my wallet and phone then followed Dick to the elevator that lead us to the garage.

"Well, it's been a long time since I last saw you, Avery, my oh my! You've gotten gorgeous, dear!" greeted Matty as he gave me a hug and a kiss

"It's good to see you as well, Matty, how are you?" I asked my hairstylist as I hugged him in return

"Oh honey, business is good, thank God, I got me a boyfriend, which is good news, but other than that, I'm just enjoying life, darling"

"I'm glad, Matty" I told him as I sat down on the styling chair

"What about you, Avery dear, you got a man in your life?" asked Matty as he laid my head down on the small nearby washtub

"Yeah, he's a wonderful guy, he's attentive, loving, he's all around a friendly guy with everyone"

"Oh, I just gotta meet him, sweetie" crowed Matty as he shampooed my hair

"You will, once he comes back from getting me a fountain drink, you'll love him" I said smiling, I just want to see the look on Matty's face when he finds out I'm dating former cop Dick Grayson

"I see, so, you're going to tonight's fundraiser for Gotham General Hospital?" asked Matty, as he lifted me up and began drying my hair

"Yeah, my boyfriend invited me to go with him, so I said I'd go" I told him as he continued to blow dry my hair

"Lucky you, my boyfriend also invited me to go, since he works at the hospital as a neurosurgeon, but I haven't responded him yet with an answer"

"I hope you can go, Matty, we can hang out and get to know each other's boyfriends" I said as I saw Dick approaching the hair salon

"Avery?" Dick called as he looked for me

"Here, babe" I waved at him

Matty looked at me in utter shock

"No freaking way!" whispered Matty

"That's right, Matty, allow me to introduce to you my boyfriend, Dick Grayson, dear, this is my good friend and hair stylist, Matty Johnston" I replied as I introduced them to each other

"Pleasure to meet you, Matty" Dick replied as he shook Matty's hand

"Oh no dear, the pleasure is all mine" said Matty as he winked at Dick, making my poor boyfriend feel uncomfortable

"Here Avery, I got you a soda" said Dick as he gave me a bottle of coke

"Thanks, babe" Dick then went to go sit down in the lobby while Matty did my hair

"Girl, you are so lucky, who knew you bagged the former badass cop of Bludhaven?"

"I got lucky, I guess" I laughed as I sipped on my soda

Me and Matty were just talking and having a good time while I was having my hair done when I saw a familiar face walking up to the receptionist

"Oh shit, it's Mrs. Williams" I hissed looking at Dick, who was busy on his phone, I took out my phone and sent Dick a quick text

_Look at who's talking to the receptionist_

Matty looked at me "Do you and that woman have a beef going on?"

"She just doesn't like the fact that my father adopted my brothers, she thinks that it's offensive to the memory of my grandparents" I told Matty as he braided my hair

"What a crazy! What your father did for those boys was the biggest act of kindness I've ever known! Those boys were given a better life thanks to your dad"

"I wish people thought the same way you did, Matty" I replied, as Matty finished braiding my hair and began to curl my hair with the curling wand

I felt my phone buzzing and picked it up, it was a text from Dick:

_Whatever she says or does, don't let it get to you, I love you_

I was sending him a reply when Mrs. Williams stood in front of me

"Well, well, well, who do we have here, Bruce Wayne's trouble-making daughter, Avery Wayne"

I took a deep breath and smiled at Mrs. Williams "Hello, Mrs. Williams, how nice to see you"

"I'm sure it is, where is your father by the way? I'm sure he's here to make sure you don't cause any problems for him" she replied icily as she took a seat on the chair next to mine

"My father is away on business in China, I'm afraid, he's not here with me, but I'm not alone, my boyfriend is here accompanying me"

"A boyfriend, you say?" trilled the old bat, "Who is the unfortunate sap?"

"That would be me, Mrs. Williams" said Dick's voice as he appeared behind her

"My word! You're going out with the former circus gypsy?" Mrs. Williams shrieked, I almost bounced out of my chair and was about to smack her when Matty held me back firmly on the chair

"She's not worth it, honey, just ignore her" said Matty as he nonchalantly continued to curl my hair

"Mrs. Williams, I would think it wise to please refrain from insulting me or my boyfriend" was all I told her as I looked away from her and faced Dick who was now seating at a chair across from me

"I will do what I please, foolish girl, you do not order me around"

This woman was seriously trying the last bit of patience I had

"You think you're above everyone else just because you are the daughter of the most powerful man in Gotham, well, if it wasn't for your poor grandfather, Thomas Wayne, your father would be sleeping out on the streets in Crime Alley with the rest of your bastard siblings" spat Mrs. Williams as a woman began fixing her hair

"Excuse Me!?" I began to stand up from my chair, but Matty and Dick held me back down

"Honey" Matty said to Dick "Unless you want some serious blood to be spilled, I suggest we move to another area, because some serious shit is about to go down here"

**A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner! I got a bad cold and I just didn't have the strength to type, much less do anything else, but I'm doing a bit better, and I noticed that no one has reviewed my last two chapters, while it does make me a tad bit sad, it's not gonna stop me from typing this awesome story, I hope that whoever feels it in their heart to review, thank you and kudos to you! If you just read my story, I still appreciate you taking the time to read my story, so if you want to READ AND REVIEW, thank you!**

**In the words of my favorite YouTuber, Anna Akana**

**STAY AWESOME, GOTHAM!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18: Karma's A Bitch

Matty and Dick were tugging me away from Mrs. Williams, the woman had a smug look on her face and I wanted nothing more than to give her the ass-kicking of a lifetime

"Come on, Avery, she's just saying that to get under your skin, don't let her get to you, babe" Dick said as he finally managed to sit me down on the chair as Matty resumed to do my hair

"Fine, do you have any headphones I can use? I wanna listen to some music to block the old hag out" Dick smiled and gave me his earphones, I plugged them into my phone and turned on my music player

"Honey, that old woman is just jealous of that wonderful man you call your father, don't let her bitterness ruin that lovely face, okay?" said Matty as he gave me a warm smile and a wink

"You're right, Matty" I told him

Moments passed and Matty was almost done with my hair, he was starting to pin it up in an updo when I saw Mrs. Williams walk up to us

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose

"Mrs. Williams, what do you want now?" I asked, tightening my hands into fists, controlling the urge to punch her in the face

"I want to talk to your circus freak of a boyfriend, where is he?"

Why would she want to talk to Dick?

"What do you want with him, are you gonna insult him some more?" I spat

"That would be too easy, Ms. Wayne" Mrs. Williams hissed, her steel gray eyes narrowing

"Then what do you want him for, he has no business with you"

"Avery, that's enough, I'm here Mrs. Williams, what do you want from me?" said Dick as he appeared behind me, his hands on my shoulders in a comforting manner

"Your girlfriend has notified me that Bruce Wayne will not be attending the fundraiser tonight due to business he has in Beijing, am I correct?"

I got suspicious, why did she care if my father wouldn't attend tonight's event?

"That's right, Bruce has asked for me to take his place in attendance tonight" answered Dick calmly

"Why would he ask someone like you to take his place?"

"I believe that isn't any of your business, Mrs. Williams, is that all you want to know?" Dick was slowly on the verge of strangling the hag

"My son wants to run a business proposal to Bruce, but I guess since he's not here, I should ask you, even though I clearly don't want to" hissed Mrs. Williams

"If my presence torments you so, Mrs. Williams, please refrain from asking me anything else and please talk to Bruce yourself when he comes back from China, and besides this is not the place to be talking business proposals" Dick told her, tightening his hold on my shoulders, hurting me a bit, but I don't blame him, he clearly wanted to snap at this 'woman'

"I will do just that, you disrespectful young man" said the hag as she stuck up her nose at him in disgust

"Listen here you little-"

"Avery!" Dick spat, his eyes no longer playful and bright, they were dark and full of anger, I inwardly shuddered and looked away in shame

"I would love nothing more than to teach you and those brats you call 'brothers' a lesson or two in manners, you Waynes are nothing but a stain in Gotham's high society, I have no idea what Bruce was thinking when he took all of you in, I cer-"

"Mrs. Williams, I kindly ask that you leave the premises right this second" Matty said standing over me and Dick, we both just looked at him in surprise

"Excuse me!?"

"You heard me, I will not have you disrespecting my clients here on my establishment, I have heard enough of your insults and offenses, and I will not have any of that in my salon, so please, leave or I shall have you escorted out, you decide" Matty was livid, that much I knew, he had put the curling iron away and looked at Mrs. Williams with such disdain and disgust

"I can have your place shut down if I willed it so, you do know that, right?" said Mrs. Williams, clearly on the verge of a breakdown

"You can shut it down all you, want, Mrs. Williams, but I will help him re-open it, Matty is a dear friend of mine, and if you threaten him, I can press charges for assault and harassment, and I know you don't want that, right?" I asked, a wicked smile on my face

"You will pay for what you've done, of that you can be sure" said the old bat as she turned to walk away

"Get in line" I called after her

"Matty, I appreciate what you did for us, I really mean it" said Dick as he shook Matty's hand

"It was nothing, sweetie, I can't stand people like her, they think they're so high and mighty" Matty replied as he added the finishing touched on my hair-do

"Well, Avery, what do you think?" I looked at myself in the mirror and I was quite pleased, my hair was curled in an updo, and it was tied with small braids, I loved it

"You've done a great job, Matty, thank you" I told him as I hugged him

"It's what I do, sweetie" answered Matty, returning the hug "And, don't worry about paying, it's on the house"

"But Matty, are you sure?" Dick asked, confused

"Yeah, I mean we caused a pretty big scene today" I told him

"Think nothing of it, go on kids, and have some fun"

"Thank you Matty"

Me and Dick had walked out of the salon, Dick was being very quiet, which was unusual for him, but I knew that Mrs. Williams' words had affected him greatly

"Dick, please, don't think about the old bat, she's just a bitter old coot" I said, taking his face in my hands

"Look at me, Richard" I told him, Dick's gaze then lifted up to me

"You are not a circus freak, you're Richard John Grayson, the most wonderful, loving, caring, funny, and sweetest man in all of Gotham, and nothing that Miranda Williams says will change that, you hear me?" Dick then smiled and I kissed him

"You're right, Avery, you're absolutely right" He said, kissing my forehead

"I'm Avery Selina Wayne-Kyle, when am I ever wrong?" I teased as we walked back to the car.

When we arrived back at the manor, Jason was in the living room talking with Tim and Roy and Damian was playing with dad's dog Titus

"Hey guys, Avery nice hairdo" complimented Roy

"Thanks Harper" I said sitting in the couch across from them, Dick was still quiet, I sighed, not even the pep talk I gave him seemed to work

"Grayson, are you alright, you seem rather quiet" asked Damian, sensing that there was something out of place with him

"I'm fine, baby bird, just got a lot on my mind, excuse me, I have to start getting ready for tonight" and with that, Dick left to go upstairs to his room

"What happened, Avery?" asked Jason, his face etched in worry

"We ran into Mrs. Williams at the salon today, she had a few choice words to say about all of us, I won't go into detail, but some of the things she told Dick really got to him, she insulted his background and more, I just think he took what she said to heart, I tried cheering him up, but I don't think that worked" I was so upset, I hated seeing him so hurt and sad, this wasn't the Dick I knew and loved

"That woman is always looking for ways to push us around" said Tim, looking down to the floor

"She's been on our case ever since Bruce introduced her to us at the Gotham New Year's Eve ball last year" replied Jason

I smiled as an idea suddenly came to mind

"Jason, you're still planning on coming with us to the hospital fundraiser tonight, right?"

"Yeah, now I have more of a reason to get back at the old bitch" said Jason, looking rather pissed

"Would you mind helping me with a little prank I have in mind?" I asked innocently

"What do you have in mind?" wondered Jason

I just smiled wickedly at him "Have you ever watched 'Jackass'?"

Jason's smile widened "I know what you have in mind, and I love it"

"Okay" I said "I'm gonna need Tim's help in this plan as well,Timmy?" Tim looked up from the science magazine he was reading

"Yeah?"

"Do you have access to the blueprints of Gotham General Hospital?" I asked

"Yeah, why do you want to know?"

"I need your help in planning a prank" was all I told him, and he smiled at me

"Say no more, I'm in, what do you want me to do?" Tim asked, joining me and Jason on the couch

"Okay, I need you to access the hospital's computer system and hack it" I told him

"Alright, then what?"

"Well..."

I finished explaining the plan to Jason and Tim, and they understood their roles, I asked Roy and Damian not to spill the beans to Alfred or Dick, and they promised not to tell, in exchange for their silence, I had to promise them that I would take them to Disneyland

"Well, Tim, you know what to do, make sure you keep up with everything that's going on at the hospital"

"You got it" said Tim, giving me a thumbs-up

"Alright, well, me and Jason are gonna go get ready, keep you communication device on at all times, me and Jason will have ours on as well"

"Okay, have fun guys" Tim replied, grinning mischievously

"Oh we will" I said, smiling evilly at Jason

I had just put my dress and shoes on when I heard someone knocking at the door

"Come in, it's open" I called, Dick walked in looked so damn good in the tuxedo, his hair nicely styled and smelling of my favorite Burberry for Men cologne, holding a silver medium sized box

"Wow, babe, you look so sexy" I told him, as I reached for him and kissed him

"Thank you, you look rather beautiful yourself" He replied, kissing me back

"What's in the box?" I wondered as I looked at the box

"This is for you" he said as he opened the box, I gasped in utter shock as I saw what was inside of it

It was a black faceted lacquer stone bib waterfall necklace with matching earrings, it was so elegant and beautiful I almost cried

"Dick this is so beautiful, where'd you get this?" I asked, marveling at the necklace

"It was my mother's, she used to wear it whenever we would go out on the town with my dad, it's one of my prized possessions from her, and I want you to wear it tonight" I looked at him, not believing my own ears

"No, I can't do that, it belonged to your mom, and I can't wear something so meaningful to you"

Dick put a finger to my lips, signaling for me to shut up, he then took the necklace out of the box and put it around my neck, closing the clasp, and in turn I took out the earrings and put them on my ears

"Now, you look like my own personal queen" Dick replied, making me blush

"Thank you Dick" I said, hugging him tightly

"I know my mom wouldn't mind you wearing it, she would be pleased" I closed the space between us and gave him a long and passionate kiss

When we broke away for air, I placed my arms around his waist

"I hope I've made your mom proud"

"You have, Avery, she would've loved you as much as I do" said Dick

"Oh, Dick about earlier today, please don't be upset about what Mrs. Williams said anymore, it hurt me to see you so distraught, that's not who you are, that's not the man I fell in love with, forget what the old bitch said, you are who you are and you don't need an old hag's validation to know that otherwise"

"I know, and I am over it, she's just trying to get under my skin, and I shouldn't let her, next time I'll remember to ignore her and just move on" said Dick, placing a stray hair behind my ear

I smiled "That's more like it, now ome on, let's get going, we don't wanna be late to the party" I told him as I led Dick out of my room

Dick laced his fingers with mine as I closed the door behind me.

Jason was waiting for us downstairs and he was looking good as well, his suit was an all black number, the only thing white was the bow-tie around his neck

"Wow, Jason, you clean up nice" I told him as I reached the final stair step

"Thank you, Avery, wow you look gorgeous, sis"

"I try" I laughed, tousling Jason's hair

"Alright guys, you ready to have a good time tonight?" asked Dick, leading us to the garage

I looked over at Jason and gave him a menacing smirk, and he just smiled

"We sure are, Dickie, we sure are"

When we arrived at the hospital grounds, Dick gave the keys to a valet to park the hummer for him and we went straight to the gardens

My comm device beeped, and I spoke

"Jason and Avery, you guys arrived at the hospital yet?" asked Tim

"Yeah, we've made it, the cat and her robins have landed" I told him

"Alright, when you give the signal, I will do the rest, and I will lead you and Jason through everything else" said Tim

"We hear ya loud and clear, little wing" said Jason as he looked over at me

"Good, now keep both of your devices back on, the next time I reach you, I'll be waiting for the signal, Tim out"

I looked over at Jason and I motioned for him to come towards me as Dick went to greet a few people he knew from Bludhaven

"I have the rope and everything else we'll need in my purse" I whispered to him as I said hello to the other guests

"Good, has Dick suspected anything yet?" asked Jason

"So far no, so we're lucky for now, as long as he doesn't ask too many questions and we act nonchalant, he won't get suspicious of us" Dick then approached us

"How are you guys enjoying the little shindig here?" asked Dick as he wrapped an arm around my waist leading us to our reserved table

"It's nice and quiet, not too loud" I told him, smiling at him as he took out a chair for me

We had just sat down when a few couples got in the middle of the garden and began to dance

I smiled at them, happy that everyone else was enjoying the night, when I saw someone's hand stretched out towards me

"Avery Selina Wayne-Kyle, will you have this dance with me?" I looked up at Dick, smiling brightly at me

I grinned and took his hand as he lead me to the dance floor

As we danced, we talked and smiled, just enjoying the time we were having together

Time passed and the song came to an end, but the jazz band that was playing began another song, and someone tapped Dick's shoulder

"May I cut in?" asked Jason, appearing behind Dick

Dick smiled at me, then stepped away and walked back to our table

"I must admit Jason, I'm surprised, I never would've pegged you as a dancer" I laughed as Jason gently took hold of my waist and lead in the dance

"I'm full of surprises, Avery" said Jason, eyebrows wiggling suggestively

I laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder

"All kidding aside, I'm glad you could join us tonight, it meant a lot to Dick, thank you, I hope one day I can repay you"

"No need to thank me, seeing that smile on that pretty face of yours is payment enough" Jason replied, pulling me closer to him

"Jason, what ar-"

"Avery, I know that you still hold a grudge against me for leaving, I can see it in your eyes" whispered Jason

My smile vanished and was replaced with a confused stare, I was about to reply but he cut me off again

"And I also know that deep inside that heart of yours, you still love me the way you love Golden Boy" I looked down, not wanting him to see my reaction

"Avery, look at me, please say something" I looked back at him and let him see the tears that were slowly forming around my eyes

"I can't deny that I still love you, there's no doubt about that, but I've moved on, Jason, I got tired of waiting around for you to come back, and Dick was there when you weren't, he deserves a chance to be loved after all the time he was on the back-burner because I waited for your return, and not only am I giving him that chance, I'm truly falling in love with him too, he means the world to me, like you once did, so please, I ask that you don't interfere with me and Dick anymore"

"I won't interfere, Avery, I know that you love Goldie, I knew that the moment I saw you two when I came back to the manor, I just, I had hoped that you could hear me out"

"Jason, I just hope that you understand that even though I still love you, I'm no longer in love with you, you are now only my brother, you will still be a part of my life and will always hold a place in my heart, but I'm done with you"

Jason smiled sadly at me and gently wiped the tears away from my eyes

"I fully understand, you and Dick have nothing to worry about, I won't interfere with your relationship"

"Thank you, Jason"

"No problem" said Jason "Now come on, we have a prank to get ready for, right?" I laughed as Jason led me back to the table where Dick was waiting for us patiently

_'Yes, it's time for Miranda Williams to learn that karma is a major bitch'_

**A/N: Hello! Did anyone miss me? No? Okay, lol, well for those who did, I have posted this lovely little chapter to make up for the time I was away due to a bad cold I had, but I am back, peeps! I have also been writing a one-shot that focuses on Jason Todd's life, from the beginning of his childhood spending it on the streets of Gotham, to his 'death' in the hands of the Joker, all told through the eyes of his closest friend, I am also thinking about writing another Jason Todd story, something that was inspired by the movie Brothers, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey MacGuire, so keep a sharp eye out for that, I have lots of ideas in the making, and I hope that you guys can come along for the ride**

**Much Love,**

**Lady Nightwing :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19: Sweet, Sweet Revenge

As me and Jason took our seats, Dick was drinking some champagne

"Did you guys enjoy the dance?" asked Dick as he gave me a flute of champagne

"Yeah, we had fun" I told him, smiling at Jason, I won't deny that it was a bit uncomfortable for me to address Jason now because of what happened minutes earlier, but I forgot about it, Jason was my brother, and I would not let what went on earlier change my attitude towards him

"I talked to Mr. Esposito, he just wanted to thank me for giving him a check to help with the renovation of the Children's wing of the hospital"

I took a sip of my champagne before I responded "I'm glad, I should remember to pay a visit to the children one day"

"I'm going to get something to eat, Dick care to join me?" I asked, getting up to walk to the buffet table

"Yeah, let's go, Jason, let's get something, you must be hungry" Dick replied as Jason stood up with us

We were talking amongst each other when we heard an awful familiar voice, and unfortunately it didn't belong to Mrs. Williams

"Well, if it isn't Bruce Wayne's brats" we all three looked at none other than the so-called first lady of Gotham City, and Mrs. Williams' best friend, Elizabeth Sorenson, wife of Edward Sorenson, the mayor of Gotham, and another person who also had a grudge against me and my family

"Mrs. Sorenson, what a pleasant surprise" I replied, ignoring the fact she called us brats

"Yes, I'm sure it is, where is your father, young lady?" Mrs. Sorenson asked, glaring at Dick and Jason

"That's none of your concern, Mrs. Sorenson" I growled

"I see your father has lacked teaching you proper manners on addressing adults" Mrs. Sorenson sneered

"Listen here bitch-"

"Jason!" Dick hissed, holding Jason back from attacking the woman

"I still don't understand why Bruce would ever adopt a street urchin like you, you are clearly one of the most foul-mouthed brats I've ever seen"

"Listen to me, you fucking bat" snapped Jason, making me and Dick look at him in shock

"I know damn well I'm a street kid, I don't deny that, and frankly, I never will, you can talk all the shit you want about me, that's fine, but if you wanna talk shit about my brothers or my sister, or if you wanna feel like insulting_ my father_, you better believe I can make you regret those words, so if you value your pride, I suggest walking away and don't look back" Jason's words dripped venom, I had never seen him like that before, I think Mrs. Sorenson had finally pushed him to the limit

Mrs. Sorenson looked beside herself in disbelief, "You dare talk to me that way, young man?"

"I dare, and I did, you think you can look down at everyone else because they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but clearly you've messed with the wrong person, I'm not afraid of what people say about me, but once you disrespect my family, that's when you cross the line and I won't take shit from them, much less some stuck-up hag with a stick up her ass"

"Jason..." I was at a loss for words, there was already a crowd hanging around us and whispering among themselves

"You have no idea who you're messing with, boy, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, didn't Bruce teach you how to respect your elders?" warned Mrs. Sorenson

"I'm not afraid of you, lady, and I only respect those who have earned my respect, and clearly you haven't done anything that has made me respect you, you may be the mayor's wife, but that gives you no right to treat other people like they're beneath you, I'm not afraid of letting people know how I truly feel about them, and you clearly picked a bad day to come here and disrespect us, you are one of the reasons I hate snotty rich people, they think they can pick on people who live in poverty because they've never had to struggle to get anything in life, well I did struggle, I did grow up on the streets, my parents were drug addicts, I don't care who knows, I had to lie, cheat, and steal just to get food in my stomach while you were living it up with chefs catering to your every whim, I didn't have that luxury"

Mrs. Sorenson's glare intensified as Jason straight up ripped her into pieces

"But Bruce Wayne saved my life, he took me in when no one else wanted me, he fed me, clothed me, loved me as his own son, and I am forever grateful for that, I have three brothers and a sister who love me, even though we're not blood-related, we are a family, and we protect and defend each other from each people like you who just get their kicks from putting people down just because of where they came from, but woman, you have no idea who you just messed with"

Mrs. Sorenson was livid, Jason was basically humiliating her in front of the entire high class of Gotham City, and boy, Dick and I were enjoying every minute of it

Mrs. Sorenson turned her heel and walked away, clearly embarassed

"Jason, that was amazing!" I gasped, high-fiving him

"That was quite entertaining, little brother" said Dick, patting Jason on the back

"I'm just gonna sit down, that woman just fucking pissed me off, just get me whatever you guys are getting me, please" Jason then made his way back to our table, anger apparent in his features

"Hopefully, he'll calm down in a bit" said Dick as he grabbed a plate and began to serve himself

I grabbed a plate for myself and Jason and began putting food on our plates

"Jason, here you go, there wasn't much to choose from" I told him as I gave him his plate and took my seat

"Thanks"

"How dare you disrespect my friend like that, you insolent boy!?" Oh, how I hated how this night was turning out, I turned to see Mrs. Williams standing in front of us, nostrils flaring and her eyes narrowed, we had only been here for only an hour and our night was slowly going to hell

"She was the one who insulted us, Mrs. Williams, we did nothing to her" I told her, trying not to jump her and beat her senseless

"Unlikely, but what can I expect from a bunch of an unruly bitch like you, Avery Wayne"

I stood up from my chair and was inches from finally putting my hands on her when Dick and Jason began holding me back

"Let me go, guys!" I hissed, trying to wring Mrs. Williams' neck

"She's trying to get to you, don't let her, Avery, she's not worth it" Dick said

"Avery, calm down, you'll get your payback soon, remember why we're here" Jason whispered, I stopped struggling, then Jason and Dick let me go

I slowly walked to , a sly grin on my face

"I'm gonna make you regret your words, Mrs. Williams, you just wait, I'm going to get payback for all the hell I've had to put up from you and your friend, you just wait" I turned around and walked back to Dick and Jason

"I'm not afraid of you, insolent brat" the old lady growled, I stopped halfway to my to my table, and turned back to face her, showing her a malicious smile

"You should be" was all I said before I went back to my boyfriend and brother

"You okay?" asked Dick, wrapping an arm on my shoulder

"I will be" I said, looking at Jason

I watched Mrs. Williams walking to Mrs. Sorenson's side and they began to talk amongst themselves, as I kept my eye on them, my communication device went off, it was Tim

I looked over at Jason and he just grinned at me

"Excuse me, Dick, me and Jason are gonna get some more champagne, we'll be back" I then stood up and grabbed my purse as Jason and I walked to the table where they held the champagne glasses, I spoke into my comm device

"Tim, can you hear me?"

"I hear you loud and clear, Avery, when I turn off the lights in the entire hospital I will guide you on how to get to Mrs. Williams, it's gonna be dark, so you're gonna need my help on that as well, are you ready? Where's Jason?"

"He's right here with me" I replied, looking at Jason

"Baby bro, we are ready when you are" spoke Jason

"Alright guys, I'm gonna start the countdown, when I reach 0, I will guide you to where Mrs. Williams is standing, then you will go and finish off the rest, do not communicate with each other or with me when you get to her, we don't wanna risk getting caught" Tim ordered

"You got it, start the countdown now, Tim"

Tim began counting down and Jason and I got ready to 'attack' Mrs. Williams

"Let's get ready for some some sweet, sweet revenge, brother" I said to Jason, who just smiled at me

"5...4...3...2...1...0, Lights Out!" shouted Tim into the comm device as all of a sudden the lights to the entire hospital building went out and there was nothing but pitch darkness surrounding us, and a huge commotion going on as people began to freak out

Jason and I listened intently as Tim led us to where Mrs. Williams was standing, I began to take out the rope and scissors I had stowed away in my purse, I then hurriedly gave Jason some black gloves that would help us avoid getting any of our DNA near Mrs. Williams' body

"She's standing on Jason's right, take two steps and you'll get her then, Tim out"

As we reached Mrs. Williams, I heard her gasp and I pushed her down, Jason gagged her mouth to avoid getting anyone's attention, and I grabbed her arms and legs, using the rope to hogtie her and then I used the scissors to rip her dress open and leave her in only her underwear, once we finished I placed the scissors back in my purse along with the gloves Jason and I had used, once we finished Jason took my hand and led me back to the middle of the garden, where we were before the lights had gone out

I then heard my comm device beep

"The mission was a success, turn the lights back on" I said as I did my best to calm down, despite my giddiness and excitement

"Alright, guys, the lights will be on in 3,2,1! See you guys when you get home, I'm out" Tim then beeped out, and the lights had gone back on, we then saw Dick looking for us and we walked towards him

"Dick, where were you?" I asked, trying to keep a blank face

"I was looking for you and Jason, as soon as the lights went out, I freaked and began looking for you guys, you both okay?" asked Dick

"Yeah, we're okay, Goldie" said Jason

Then, like music to our ears, we heard a loud yell coming from Jason's side, there was a crowd gathering around the area where Mrs. Williams was, the three of us went over to see 'what was going on' and sure enough, there she was, hog-tied and half-naked, everyone was laughing and pointing at her, all the local news networks that were here to cover the event were gathering around her, taking pictures

"Oh my God" said Dick, not believing the sight before him

Jason and I stood behind Dick, snickering silently to ourselves, we gave each other a quick high-five, rather pleased with what we had done

"Who would do such a thing?" asked one spectator, clearly shocked

"Whoever did this to her, I wanna shake their hand, they clearly had the balls to do what many of us have been wanting to do" said another person

Someone then placed a coat over her and led her away from the public eye, everyone then began dispersing, the little show being over

For the rest of the night, the topic of conversation was Mrs. Williams, or as someone had pegged her 'Miss Piggy', I felt good knowing that I had finally gotten my revenge on that old hag

Mr. Esposito then walked over to us and chatted with us for a bit, thanking us for our attendance to the event and apologizing for the commotion and the little show that went on with Mrs. Williams, I assured him it was okay, and told him we had enjoyed ourselves greatly

The party was slowly coming to an end, and me and the boys were making our way to the parking lot, Dick's fingers entwined with mine as the valet drove his car up to us, as the valet gave Dick his car, we all climbed on and Dick began the drive home.

Tonight was an eventful night, I had finally gotten payback and it felt good, and it felt good knowing that from here on out, things were gonna get much better, I had Dick and Jason with me, that's all that mattered

As Dick drove, I felt my eyes drooping until I heard Dick speak

"So, whose idea was it to prank Mrs. Williams?"

**A/N: Short chapter, I know, but hopefully you guys liked it, to Homez18, thank you for your review, not only was it brutally honest, I appreciate it, even though Jason is a bit OOC, but I'll make his true self come out soon, to everyone else, I appreciate the reviews, well, I hope you all liked this chapter, I'll be back tomorrow with another chapter, until then... Stay Classy! :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20: Busted

_'Fuck my life'_ I thought as all sleep escaped me and I turned to Dick, who was just grinning

"Oh yes, you two are so busted" said Dick, a teasing smile on his lips

"How the hell did you know?" asked Jason, dumbstruck

"I'm not an idiot, guys, it was obvious when I saw the way she was hog-tied, Avery is the only person I know who does knots like that"

_'Damn it Avery! You had one job'_ I scolded myself as I mentally face-palmed

"I'm not upset if that's what you guys are thinking, I'm actually glad you both finally got payback for us" Dick replied

"We do have to worry about the media though" I told the guys "They took pictures of her and most likely they will publish them for tomorrow's news broadcast, and dad will eventually find out as well"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, let's just go home and celebrate this small victory, we deserve it" said Jason

"You sure you're not mad, Dick?" I asked, looking over at him

"Avery, I'm okay, I do admit you went a bit too far leaving her half-naked, but I'm not bothered by it, she deserves it for giving us so much hell all this time" Dick replied, kissing my hand

As we finally arrived at the manor, we had to quietly walk to the main entrance to avoid waking everyone up, Jason, Dick and I then made our way to the kitchen where Jason had a case of Budweiser in a hidden cooler he found under the pantry of the kitchen, he then brought it out and gave me and Dick a beer before he took one for himself

"A toast" I replied, lifting up my beer "for finally getting payback on the old hag"

"Here, here" said Jason and Dick in unison as they clinked their bottles with mine

"Man, if I still can't believe... we got that bitch so bad" I slurred, trying not to fall over from my chair, drinking my fifth bottle of beer

"Hahaha, we got her good, sis, the look on her face was priceless!" Jason replied, still sober, even though he was on his tenth bottle, I was such a lightweight

"Alright, I think it's time for miss drinks-a-lot to hit the sack, you too Jason, we'll see you in the morning, goodnight bro" said Dick as he lifted me up over his shoulder and carried me upstairs

"I'm gonna clean this up, goodnight" Jason told Dick as he began cleaning up the bottles strayed over the kitchen counter

"We got her good, Dickie!" I sang as Dick tried to shush me

"Oh, how I love -hiccup- you, Nightwing, my hero" I kept on, singing and just making an idiot of myself in my drunken state

"I love you too, Catwoman, but you gotta stay quiet, you know how pissed Damian gets when his sleep is disturbed" warned Dick, as we arrived in my room, I then felt him take my shoes off, then he laid me gently on my bed, he then began to take his clothes off, leaving only his boxers on, such a shame, his body was like a freakin' work of art, I then felt him slide under the covers with me and we finally succumbed to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to a massive headache, my vision was somewhat hazy, and I got up in a rush, making my headache worse, I saw Dick was still knocked out

"Damn, my head hurts" I groaned, I noticed I still had my dress on from last night, so I got up from bed, making sure I didn't wake Dick up, and began taking my dress off and placing it back in the garment bag, then I took off the necklace and earrings that belonged to Dick's mom and placed them back in the silver box, hiding it in my jewelry drawer, then I went to take a much needed shower to help soothe my aching head

As I jumped in the shower, I turned the hot water on first, then the cold, and I began to feel the warm water relaxing my aching muscles and pounding head, I washed my hair and then I finally stepped out, I then wrapped a towel around my body and walked out to my room, finding that Dick was still in bed, I should've woken him up, but he looked so adorable when he slept, so I let him sleep some more while I got dressed, I put on a matching bra-and-panty set, and then put on a black shirt with gray cargo capri pants, then I went to the bathroom to blow-dry and straighten my hair

Once done, I walked back to my room to find that Dick was no longer in my bed, so I figured he had gone back to his room to shower as well, I went downstairs to meet everyone else for breakfast

"Good Morning, Miss Avery, how was your night at the hospital fundraiser?" asked Alfred as he greeted me

"It was fun, Alfred, me and the boys had a good time" I told him, taking my seat at the front of the table

"Really? Because they showed some coverage of the event last night and they showed something that caught me by surprise" said Alfred, giving me a suspicious smirk

'He must've watched the morning news already' I told myself, preparing any excuse I could think of

"Really, what could that be?" I asked, acting as innocently as I could

"Give it up, Avery, he knows it was us" said Jason, smiling at me

"Am I in trouble, Alfred?" I asked, a bit scared, call me a chicken all you want, but when Alfred is angry, I get scared

Alfred then smiled at me and laughed, which was a very rare thing for him to do

"Of course not, child" said Alfred, patting my head "I know that she always gave you and the young masters a hard time, so just this once, I approve the actions you and Master Jason took to teach her a lesson"

"Thanks Alfred" I told him, quite relieved

"Good morning, everyone, morning Alfred" called Dick as he stepped into the dining room

"Morning, Master Richard, now that you're here I can start serving breakfast" said Alfred as he went into the kitchen

"Morning, babe" I told him as he leaned down to kiss me

"Morning, I'm guessing by the look on your face, Alfred knows about last night?" asked Dick, sitting next to me

"Yeah, he took it quite well though, so I'm happy for that" I replied as Alfred came by and served us pancakes

"So what is everyone's plans for the day?" I asked as I took a bite out of my pancakes

"I'll just stay home, nothing really to do" said Jason

"I wanna go to this really cool art exhibit at Gotham's Fine Arts Museum, but I figured you guys have something else in mind" Tim replied

"Whose art are they displaying, Timmy?" I asked, taking a drink of apple juice Alfred brought for me

"From what I read online, they're going to be displaying various famous artists, like Da Vinci and Van Gogh, and some others"

"I'll go with you, I need to get out of the house, anyone else want to come with us?"

"I'll go, sounds very educational" said Roy

"Might as well go, there's nothing here to do" sighed Jason, patting Tim's head

"I will go as well, I too need to get away from this place, some fresh air could do me some good" Damian replied

"The exhibit starts at 11:30 a.m., so we'll have plenty of time to get ready, it's barely 9:45" said Tim, getting excited

"So, I take it it's a family trip then, well let's start getting ready, let's meet up by the garage in an hour" said Dick, placing his napkin on the table

"Alright" then we all stood and walked out of the kitchen to get ready for the trip, I had asked Alfred to prepare some snacks so we could eat in Gotham Park after the exhibit

I then went back to my room to find something else to wear when Dick came into my room

"Hey, you getting dressed?" asked Dick, his arms enveloping my waist

"Yeah, I can't go to a museum in cargo pants and a shirt, now can I?" I laughed finding a nice pair of dark blue jeans and a nice white blouse

"So, you and Jason's little prank made headlines today" said Dick as he plopped in my bed

"Alfred found out, and I was surprised he wasn't upset about it?" I told him

"Really?"

"Yeah, he actually commended me on it" I replied, changing into my outfit

"That's rather strange, I would think that Agent A would at least scold you since Bruce isn't here" murmured Dick as I lied in bed with him

"He can be rather interesting, that butler of ours" I grinned, getting closer to Dick and wrapping my arms around his waist, enjoying his warmth

"Avery, can you sing me a song, please? I love it when you sing" said Dick, playing with a strand of my hair

"What do you want me to sing?"

"Anything" was all Dick answered me with

I thought for a minute before I took out my phone, looked for the song on my media player, then clicked 'play'

_I knew you were_  
><em>You were gonna come to me<em>  
><em>And here you are<em>  
><em>But you better choose carefully<em>  
><em>'Cause I, I'm capable of anything<em>  
><em>Of anything and everything<em>

_Make me your Aphrodite_  
><em>Make me your one and only<em>  
><em>But don't make me your enemy, your enemy, your enemy<em>

_So you wanna play with magic_  
><em>Boy, you should know what you're falling for<em>  
><em>Baby do you dare to do this?<em>  
><em>Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse<em>  
><em>Are you ready for, ready for<em>  
><em>A perfect storm, perfect storm<em>  
><em>Cause once you're mine, once you're mine<em>  
><em>There's no going back<em>

_Mark my words_  
><em>This love will make you levitate<em>  
><em>Like a bird<em>  
><em>Like a bird without a cage<em>  
><em>But down to earth<em>  
><em>If you choose to walk away, don't walk away<em>

_It's in the palm of your hand now baby_  
><em>It's a yes or no, no maybe<em>  
><em>So just be sure before you give it all to me<em>  
><em>All to me, give it all to me<em>

_So you wanna play with magic_  
><em>Boy, you should know what you're falling for<em>  
><em>Baby do you dare to do this?<em>  
><em>Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse<em>  
><em>Are you ready for, ready for<em>  
><em>A perfect storm, perfect storm<em>  
><em>Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (love trippin')<em>  
><em>There's no going back<em>

_So you wanna play with magic_  
><em>Boy, you should know what you're falling for (you should know)<em>  
><em>Baby do you dare to do this?<em>  
><em>Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse (like a dark horse)<em>  
><em>Are you ready for, ready for (ready for)<em>  
><em>A perfect storm, perfect storm (a perfect storm)<em>  
><em>Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (mine)<em>  
><em>There's no going back<em>

As I finished the song, I glanced at Dick who was just grinning at me like a puppy

"What?" I asked

"Out of all the songs you decide to sing you wanna sing to me, you decide to sing 'Dark Horse' by Katy Perry?"

I playfully smacked him on the shoulder "You have a problem with Katy Perry?"

"No, it's just strange you chose that song" said Dick, kissing the tip of my nose

"Whatever, come on it's almost time to go to the museum, and Tim is probably getting anxious" I told Dick as I helped him get up from my bed.

Alfred gave me a picnic basket full of healthy snacks, fruits and beverages for the trip to the park after the museum exhibit

"You have fun now, children and please look out after each other" said Alfred as he watched us get into Dick's car

"We will, see you later Alfred" I called

Once I got into the car, we began to argue over what music to listen to on the drive to the museum

"I wanna listen to Green Day" I said, and Damian wanted to listen to Beethoven, Jason wanted to listen to Metallica, and Tim wanted to listen to some Jay-Z, and weird enough, Roy wanted to listen to Britney Spears, we all stopped talking over each other and turned to face him in surprise

"Is there something you want to tell us, Harper?" asked Damian, trying to hide the smirk that was slowly appearing on his face

"Fuck's sake, Harper, does this mean you're coming out of the closet?" Jason teased, making Roy turn crimson

"God No! I just like her music, is that so bad?" Roy groaned, trying to hide his embarassment

"We're just teasing, Roy, it's cool if you like Britney Spears" I told him

We all agreed to listen to a Top 40 radio station, and the trip became pleasant after that, well, if you considered Damian and Jason still teasing Roy about his crush on Britney Spears something pleasant

When we arrived at the museum, there was already a small crowd waiting for a museum guide to give them a tour of the exhibit

"Please form a line, a museum guide will come shortly to give you a tour of the paintings, I appreciate your patience" a museum employee explained as the small crowd began forming a line

Then, a man in a black suit came and took the first ten people from the line and guided them through the museum

A woman came a few seconds later to get me and the boys, along with five other people

"Please, follow me and we will begin our tour throughout the museum" said the woman in a professional manner

"Please, no photography allowed, if you must use your phone, please put it on vibrate or silent" I took out my phone and placed it on 'vibrate' just in case I got an emergency call

"Now, let's get started with our tour, I shall show you first the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh, Mr. Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter of Dutch origin, while he was at school, he would mostly use watercolors, of the paintings that he used watercolors with, only a few survived..."

I gazed at the paintings and thought how good Van Gogh was, these paintings were so colorful and bright, I then followed the woman to one of his most notable paintings, Self Portrait with Straw Hat, as she explained the painting, there was a loud 'boom' noise that came from the main entrance of the museum

"What was that?" I asked, as I looked around the museum, then a crashing sound came from the other side of the museum, we saw a group of three guys dressed in black from head to toe, holding AK-47s

"EVERYONE GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW!" shouted one of the men, as he shot his gun in the air

The crowd went down in an instant, and the dudes dressed in black began taking down all the priceless paintings from the walls

I looked over at Dick, who was already formulating a plan in his head

"What do you have planned, Dickie?" I whispered, trying not to get the men's attention

"Jason, please tell me you have a gun hidden on you somewhere?" asked Dickie in a hushed tone

"Tch, you ask me as if you didn't know me too well already" Jason snapped

"Well, I'm gonna need you to give me a distraction, can you handle it?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it, boy blunder" said Jason as he stood up and got the guys' attention

"What are you planning, Dick?" I asked him again

"Listen here's what I want us to do, and please listen carefully, we're not in uniform, so this is a bit of a risk..."

As we all listened to Dick's instructions, I was mentally praying that we would make it out of this situation, because in all honesty, I was afraid

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this little chapter, It took me a while to get this written, I appreciate the reviews that are coming in, in the upcoming chapters Jason's true attitude will be coming out bit by bit, like it did here, so for those who didn't like OOC Jason, fret no more, badass Jason is coming back! You guys know what to do, READ AND REVIEW, they make me ever so happy :)**

**I hope you guys feel lots of 'aster' lol :D**

**LadyNightwing**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 21: Surprise Meeting

Dick was just finishing up telling us his plan when I saw Jason fighting one the robbers

"Avery, look at me" demanded Dick, I looked at him and it took me a while to realize that I wasn't looking at Dick Grayson anymore, I was looking at Nightwing

"When I give you the signal, you, Tim and Roy will run towards Jason and help him out, Damian and I will sneak in from the back and try to apprehend them"

"You sure you can get them just with Damian's help?" I asked, my nerves getting the best of me

"You forget who I am, Avery" scoffed Damian

"Sorry" I replied sheepishly

"Alright guys, in 3,2,1 go!" then me, Tim and Roy got up and ran to aid Jason, who was having a hard time keeping up with all the robbers

"Need a hand?" I asked Jason as I kicked one of the thieves in the face

"About damn time you guys showed up" spat Jason, twisting another guy's arm until it snapped

"Sorry, our brother was telling us the plan" I told him, as I punched a guy in the face as he made a grab for my blouse

"Jason, watch out!" called Tim as one of the robbers tried to stab Jason in the shoulder, Jason turned and was able to kick the knife out of his hands, and I went and grabbed the guy, flipping him on the floor

I noticed Dick and Damian were taking a bit long to get here, but my distraction caused me greatly when one of the crooks caught me by surprise, lifting me up by my blouse, I tried to kick and punch, but he had me at arm's length, and me being short, couldn't manage a hit on him

Roy then came to my rescue, coming from behind him and kicking him in the jaw, I was able to free myself momentarily, but the guy still had a hold on my blouse, so I had no choice but to rip my blouse, I then kicked the guy in the groin and the guy crouched down in pain

"Where the hell are Damian and Dick, they're taking their sweet ass time just to get here, Avery" snapped Jason as he was able to knock out one of the crooks unconscious

"I don't know, I'm starting to worry about them" I told him as I went to aid Tim

"Nice bra by the way, black suits you" said Jason, taking his gun out and shooting one of the thieves in the leg

"Shut up" was all I could say, punching another crook in the face

"Guys sorry we're late, we ran into some trouble on our way here" said Dick as he appeared with Damian, sending one of the robbers flying with a roundhouse kick and Damian took out the guy I was fighting

"Why is your bra showing?" asked Dick, dislocating a guy's shoulder

"Shut up and fight, Grayson" I hissed, landing a spinning kick on one of the thieves

After what seemed hours, we finally managed to get all the robbers and we tied them up with zip-ties Dick had found in the robber's van

"Um, Avery-"

"Say one thing about my bra, Roy, and I'll make sure you're eating through a tube from now on" I growled, trying to cover myself up

"I'll shut up then" said Roy, backing away from me slowly

"Here, take my shirt, I have one on underneath" said Dick, taking off his black shirt

"Thanks" I then took his shirt and put it on, glad I was finally covered

I forgot we were at a museum, and surrounded by other people when I heard the sounds of clapping, we all looked at the crowd who were cheering at us

"I don't think I can ever get used to this" said Tim as he blushed and looked down in embarassment

The people then came by and began congratulating us and shook our hands, thanking us for saving their lives, we just smiled as people took out their phones and cameras and began taking our pictures, seconds after that Dick sent an emergency text to GCPD and began leading us out of the museum before the cops arrived

We all ran to the car and hauled ass, we had planned to go to the park to have our picnic, but people would eventually find out about the robbery, so we just decided to have our picnic in the backyard of the manor

As Dick drove home, Jason was fuming, one of the crooks had managed to slice his side with a hunting knife, the cut wasn't deep, but he was gonna have to get it looked at when we got home

"Stupid fucktard got me when I wasn't looking, lucky I only shot him in the arm" Jason seethed, trying not to put pressure on his left side where the cut was

We all were tired, and I just wanted to relax, but I knew that Tim and Damian were looking forward to the picnic, even if Damian denied it

After we arrived at the manor, we all jumped out of the car, Damian went to get changed, as did Roy, Tim, Dick, Jason went to Alfred to get his cut cleaned up, I just went to my room to put on my cargo shorts and kept Dick's shirt on, I threw away the blouse, no longer useful, I then went to put on my sandals and went back downstairs to get the picnic set up in the backyard

"Miss Avery, I just finished looking after Master Jason's cut, he told me what happened, is everyone else alright?" asked Alfred as he saw me coming down the stairs

I smiled warmly at him "Yeah, we're all okay, Alfred, we are just worn out from fighting the goons"

"Thank goodness, I suppose you'll be having the picnic here to avoid the media?" wondered Alfred

"Yeah, I'm gonna go set it up now, is there a blanket inside the basket, Alfred?"

"Yes, Miss, everything necessary is inside the basket"

"Thank you, Alfred, if the guys ask where I am, I'll be in the backyard"

"Very well, Miss Avery"

I had just placed the blanket on the ground when I saw Jason and Dick approaching me

"Hey, the food ready?" asked Jason plopping down beside me

"It's not really actual food, just some snacks Alfred prepared for us" I told him as I smacked his hand away from the sandwiches

"What the hell, Avery?"

"We're gonna wait for everyone else to get here" I said, placing the tray of sandwiches on the blanket, along with the Minute Maid juice cans and some assorted fruits

"This looks so good" said Dick, licking his lips in anticipation

"Don't make me smack you, too, we are gonna eat as a family, you hear me?" I replied

"Look, they're coming" said Jason as he pointed at Roy, Tim and Damian

"Hey guys, well let's dig in" I said as the guys began grabbing sandwiches and canned drinks

While we ate, I laid my head on Dick's lap, I was tired and I just wanted to sleep, but I also wanted to spend time with my brothers, and Roy of course haha, well he's somewhat of a brother to me, I was listening to the boys talk about what games they should play, and Dick suggested football, but no one wanted to go back inside the house and get the ball

"How about we play hide-and-clap?" suggested Tim **(A/N: Thumbs up to whoever figures out which scary movie I picked the game from)**

"That game is dumb" said Jason, biting his sandwich

"You only say that because you're always the first one getting found" I told him, a grin appearing on my lips

"Tch, whatever"

"I want to play hide-and-clap" said Damian

"Sure, I'll play" replied Roy, taking a drink of his fruit juice

"Alright, let's play then, but I'm not starting it" said Jason, standing up

"I'll go first, but make sure you guys hide well" said Tim as the other boys went to hide

"You guys gonna play?" asked Roy, looking at me and Dick

"Nah, we'll play in the next game" said Dick as he played with my hair

"Alright" said Roy, running off to hide from Tim

"This is nice, we're all here as a family, not trying to rip each other's throats off" Dick replied as he watched Tim try to find the other guys

"Yeah, this is nice, I kinda feel like a mom watching her kids run around, playing in the park" I said, as I closed my eyes and just felt the cool breeze blow by us

"Have you ever thought about having kids?"

My eyes snapped open and looked at Dick

"What?" I asked

"You know? Has it ever crossed your mind about having kids later on in life?" Dick responded

I thought about it before, when I was still hung over Jason, about having a little Jason Jr. running around, but seeing how things had taken a complete 360, could I really see myself having kids with Dick?

"Yeah, I've thought about kids, but not now, I'm only 24, I do want kids, but not until later on in life" I told him

"Do you want to have my kids one day?"

"Dick, where is all of this coming from?" I wondered

"You know how I feel about having my own kids, you see how I treat Damian and Tim, I even treat Jason and Roy like little kids, I guess it's the fatherly instinct I have within me"

I raised myself up and looked at Dick, he looked so distraught

"Dick, nothing would make me happy than having your child one day, but we're still young, and I still wanna live my life a bit more before I settle down, I want to be Catwoman for a few more years, and I'm sure you still wanna be Nightwing as well, right?"

Dick nodded

"Then, let's not rush things, let's take this one step at a time, okay? I'm not ready to hang up my cape and you're not ready to give up the suit, so let's just enjoy what we have now, and I promise you, one day we'll have little Nightwings and Catgirls running around one day"

"You're right, Avery, right now all we gotta focus on is keeping Gotham safe" said Dick, hugging me from behind

"Of course, and besides, I highly doubt that daddy wants to be a grandpa at his age" I laughed

"Right, I think it's time to go inside, Alfred must be making dinner already" said Dick as he got up and then helped me up

I began cleaning up by putting away all the trash in a bag Alfred had put inside the basket, and I placed the remaining food inside the basket

"Guys, come on it's time to head inside" Dick called

The guys came out of their hiding spot and began walking to the manor

"Here, I'll help with the basket" said Jason as he grabbed the basket from me

"Thanks, Jay" I told him

As we walked towards the manor, my phone went off

I took it out of my pocket and checked the caller ID

"It's Stephanie" I said, answering the phone

"Hey, Stephanie, what's up?"

"Avery, hey I'm just here at my house, what are you up to?"

"I'm at home as well, how are you?" I asked as I gave Dick the trash bag

"I'm good, listen, the Gotham Founders Festival is this Friday, I was wondering if you and Dick wanted to tag along?"

"That's right, I forgot all about the festival, is it alright if I bring all the guys along?"

"Sure, the more the merrier!" chirped Stephanie, I swear the girl was so damn energetic

"Alright, I'll talk to the guys and I'll text you more about it"

"Sounds like a plan, later Avery, take care"

"You too, Steph, bye"

"Bye!"

I hung up and looked at the guys who had just walked into the manor

"Stephanie invited us to go to the Gotham Founders Festival on Friday, you guys wanna come?" I asked

"Yeah, I'll definitely go, I love going to the festivals" said Roy, a bit too excitedly

"You know we'll go, Avery" said Dick as he made his way to the kitchen to throw the trash away

"Cool, I'll just text Stephanie and ask her for more details" I took out my phone and sent a quick text to Stephanie

We then all gathered in the living room and played video games while we waited for Alfred to call us in for dinner

Dick and Roy had decided to play Tekken Tag Tournament against Jason and Tim while I watched with Damian, and it was funny watching Jason and Tim beat the crap out of Dick and Roy, they didn't stand a chance against Jason and Tim's teamwork

"How is it that you have beaten us two times already, and we haven't even played for an hour yet?" asked Roy, getting impatient as once again, him and Dick were defeated

"We're just good like that" said Jason as Tim gave him a high-five

Alfred then called us to gather for dinner, and since Dick and Roy had lost, they had to stay behind and put away the console and the controls

As we all took our seats on the dining table, Dick and Roy soon showed up, sitting down with us

While Alfred handed us our plates of food, he had asked all of us to head to my father's study as soon as we were done with dinner, that someone was expecting us

All of us looked uneasily at each other, who would want to come see us? For some reason, I was starting to seriously freak out

It felt as we were eating our last dinner, everyone had gotten quiet, the only noise being made was the clinking sounds of the silverware touching the plates, I took a drink of the iced tea Alfred had made, and with a few bites, I finished my meal

Jason may seem tough, but even he looked scared shitless, I could see his hands shaking

And Dick was just quiet, he didn't speak or look at anyone

Roy looked like he was about to pass out from the nervousness

Tim looked pale as a ghost, he just looked down and ate his dinner in silence

And Damian, well Damian was being a little badass he was calmly eating his dinner without a care

I waited for the guys to finish their dinner, the four of them placed their napkins on the table and stood up, I got up and followed them as well

"Why the hell am I getting scared, it's probably dad and he wants to surprise us, right?" I asked the guys as we walked up the stairs

"Well, dad is known for getting his kicks scaring the fuck out of people" said Jason

"I'm getting scared, Avery" whispered Tim as he clung tightly to me, I put my arms around him and did my best to calm him down

Roy and Damian just remained quiet

"Guys, it could be anyone, let's not jump the gun so quickly, it could just be Vicki Vale wanting to ask us questions about the Museum robbery earlier" said Dick, trying to sound calm and collected

When we reached my dad's study, it looked dark, like nobody was inside, we opened the door

"Turn on the light, Avery" said Dick, I turned around and tried to find the light switch

"Damian, could you give me a hand, please?"

Damian turned and helped me find the switch

"I found it" said Damian as he flipped the switch on, illuminating the rooom

"Guys, what's going on?" I asked, Jason then pointed to the middle of the room and my eyes followed where Jason was pointing, my own eyes went wide with shock

"No way..." I gasped, looking at the person who was standing in my father's chair

Damian was the one who got the biggest shock of his life

And there, sitting in my father's chair was none other than Talia Al-Ghul

"Did you miss me, my child?"

This was one surprise meeting I wasn't expecting at all

**A/N: Hey-O! Hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, I had fun writing it, I am half-way through writing a one-shot about Jason's life, so keep a sharp eye out for that, other than that, please review! They make me a happy girl**

**HOPE YOU GUYS ARE FEELING THE ASTER!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 22: Talia Al-Ghul

"Mother..." Damian gasped, shock in his eyes apparent

"My child, did you miss me?" asked Talia as she looked at her son with malice in her eyes

Damian straightened up and shook off the shock "I cannot say that I have, _mother"_

Talia rolled her eyes at Damian in annoyance

"You would think that father of yours would teach you to respect your elders, but I see that is not the case"

"Father has taught me more than you ever could, what has brought you here anyways? Clearly, it isn't to ask about my wellbeing" Damian snapped, inching towards Talia

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pulling out the dagger he always had hidden on his person, and I immediately jerked him back towards me

"It's not worth it, Damian" was all I told him, and I swear when he looked at me, I began to shake a bit in fear _'If looks could kill...'_

"Tt, If she doesn't want anything to do with me, I'll be in my bedroom" spat Damian as he turned on his heel and walked away, slamming the door behind him

"Roy, could you and Tim please check on him?" I asked, still trying to recover from Damian's glare of death

"Yeah, excuse us" Roy replied, then walked out of the study, Tim behind him

"Talia, if you are not here to check on your son, what do you want?" Dick asked, standing in front of me and Jason

"You must be Richard Grayson, I presume?" wondered Talia

"That's right, now what are you doing here?" Dick demanded

"I wish to see my beloved" I see that she still calls my dad by that stupid pet name

"I'm sorry, but as you can see, he's not here" I replied, answering for Dick

"Where is he? I wish to speak with him immediately" said Talia as her gaze went from Dick to me

"We do not answer to you, Talia" I retorted, trying to maintain patient

"Do not speak to me in that tone, child, you know not who I am"

"I know exactly who you are, Talia Al-Ghul, you're one of the most evil, corrupt, manipulative and vile women I have ever met, you don't even care that your son is alive and well, no thanks to you" I spat, trying not to finish the job Damian had attempted to do earlier

"Watch your words, child" warned Talia, rising from her seat on my dad's chair

"Avery, that's enough" said Jason as he put his arms around me and tried to calm me down

"No, she needs to hear this, where were you when Damian would come crying to me asking for his mother?" I hissed, attempting to keep my emotions under control

"I did what was best for my son by sending him here with his father" said Talia, her hands slowly forming into fists

"You're wrong, you never thought of your son, who was the one that would watch him when he was alone, who gave him the love that you never gave him, it was us Talia, we were all there to watch him grow up into the young man you saw before your eyes moments ago, he would come to me when he wanted advice, he would come to me when he wanted to hear comforting words, he came to me when he was afraid to sleep alone, I was there for him when you weren't, Talia, all he wanted from you was for you to be proud of him, for you to showed him that you cared, but you are so caught up in daddy's little plans of world domination to see that you have a son who needs you"

Talia suddenly jumped and tackled me to the ground, throwing punch after punch at me, I tried to dodge, but she was relentless, I managed to get her off of me by spitting at her (cheap shot, I know) and then I attacked her by hitting her side and landing a kick to her stomach, Jason and Dick separated us, Jason holding Talia back and Dick holding me

"Avery, stop, you got your hands on her, now cut it out and calm down" whispered Dick, trying to straighten me up

I began to laugh, it was almost like the Joker's laugh, deranged

Dick looked at me like I had lost my mind, Jason was almost certain I had lost my mind right then and there

Talia was still fuming, her eyes staring daggers at me, but I just laughed

"Tell me, Talia, what bothers you more, that you are actually starting to regret being away from your child for so long, or that I was a better mother to him than you ever were?" my cynical laughter slowly died down, and was soon replaced by anger

Dick still held me back, thinking I would attack Talia again

A smirk appeared on Talia's lips

"Damian ceased being my son the moment he chose to side with the Batman, so what happens to him is no longer of concern to me" Talia growled, making my temper rise

I was about to kick her ass again when I noticed that Dick still had a tight hold on me

"You lie, Talia, if what I told you just now didn't bother you, then why did you attack me?"

Talia glared at me, then pushed Jason away from her

"I see that my visit here was fruitless, I shall come back another time"

"You are not welcome here, Al-Ghul, don't bother showing up here again if you know what's best" I seethed

"Are you threatening me, Avery Wayne?" murmured Talia

"I am _promising_ you"

"Very well, I will take my leave now" suddenly an extremely bright light engulfed the room and a helicopter showed up by the office window

"My ride has arrived, I will come back to see my beloved, I pray that you will control your violent urges until then" she then climbed out of the window and jumped into the helicopter

"Let me go Dick" I said, Dick then unwrapped his arms from me, I was still enraged I punched the wall, forming a small crater

"I'll be in my room" I then stormed out of my dad's study, not caring to see Dick or Jason's reactions

I went in my room and just jumped in my bed, too upset to do anything else, well I did scream into my pillow for a bit, so that calmed down somewhat

A while later, someone knocked on my door

I went to go see who it was, and found Dick standing in front of me with a half-gallon of my favorite strawberry ice cream and two spoons

I couldn't help but smile at his antics

"I figured I could cheer you up by bringing some ice cream, can I come in?" he asked

"Of course you can, get in here" I said, as I led him inside

"Are you feeling better?" Dick wondered as I sat on my favorite bean bag chair

"Yeah, a bit, I just can't believe she had the nerve to denounce Damian as her son, that had me seeing red, how can she be that cold-hearted towards her own child?"

"She is an Al-Ghul, Avery, and the Al-Ghuls only have power on their minds, she made it clear the day that she gave us Damian that she wanted nothing to do with him because he was only in the way of her plans of controlling Gotham"

"Stupid bitch, if she makes herself known again by coming here, I'll make sure she regrets it" I snapped

Dick just smiled at me "You sure are feisty today"

I took the half-gallon of ice cream and used my spoon to take a scoop

"Did you check on Damian?" I asked Dick, licking my spoon and grabbing another scoop of ice cream

"Yeah, he's doing okay, the guys are in his room playing his favorite video game"

"I should probably go check on him" I then stood up from my bean bag chair when Dick then pulled me down to him

"What are you doing, Grayson?" I purred as he put me on the floor, his lips quickly assaulting my neck

"Damian will be fine, you need to stay here with me" said Dick as he continued to place chaste kisses on my neck and chest

"You should know better than to do this, Boy Wonder" I replied, as I snaked away from him, crawling my way towards my bed

"I didn't see you complaining, Miss Wayne" grinned Dick as he took a spoonful of my ice cream

"It's almost time for the boys to go on patrol" I told Dick as I checked the hour on my phone

"They know, they'll be getting ready soon"

"You should go with them, Dickie, I know you miss going out in the field"

"I do miss it, but I belong here with you, besides, in three days' time, you'll be able to return back to the field as Catwoman" said Dick as he kissed my cheek

"The Dynamic Duo, Nightwing and Catwoman" I laughed

"It has a nice ring to it" agreed Dick as he finished up the ice cream and went to throw the container in the wastebasket

"You wanna watch a movie?" I asked as I went to turn on my television

"What's on?"

I flipped through the movie channels and found another favorite scary movie of mine, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

"I swear, you have an obsession for horror movies" Dick replied as he snuggled in bed with me

"Shut up and watch the movie, Grayson"

While we watched the movie, I tried not to laugh at how easily Dick got scared when he would hear Leatherface switch his chainsaw on, or how he would tighten his hold on my hand when he watched one of the teenagers get ripped open by said chainsaw

"You have fought against the most terrible criminals of Gotham City like the Joker, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and even Bane, but you turn into such a baby when you see a guy wielding a chainsaw?" I teased, placing my head on his lap

"Shut up"

The movie was coming to an end, and I turned off the television, seeing as Dick was about to throw up

"Don't throw up on my bed, Grayson"

"I'll try not to, what do you wanna do now?"

"Did we finish the beers that Jason had hidden?" I asked, drawing invisible shapes on Dick's chest

"No, why?" demanded Dick

"Let's have some drinks, there's nothing to do, Alfred is more than likely asleep by now, and the guys are on patrol, so why not?"

"I have a better idea, hang on let me use your communication device for a bit" I then went to my drawer and took out my comm device and gave it to Dick

"What are you doing?" I queried

"You'll see" was all Dick answered

He then clicked the device and spoke

"Nightwing to Red Hood, do you copy, Nightwing to Red Hood"

"This is Red Hood, what do you want Nightwing?"

"How's patrol coming along?"

"Nothing too special, just busted a few drug trades, but that's it" answered Red Hood

"I called you because Catwoman and I want to plan a little party, and we need you to bring some 'refreshments' you think you can bring us some after your patrol?"

"It depends, can I attend this little party?" Jason asked cockily

"It wouldn't be a party without you, Red Hood" I replied taking the device from Dick

"Haha, alright, well we're about to stop for the night, I'll send Roy and the guys home with Tim and I'll drive to the store to pick the goods"

"You need any cash?" I asked

"Thanks Catwoman, but I'm covered"

"When you get home, come straight to Catwoman's room" Dick ordered

"I hear ya, Red Hood out"

The line cut off, and we went back to laying down in bed, waiting for Jason to arrive

Dick was running his hands through my hair as I hummed a song that my mom would sing to me when I was a child

"What are you humming, kitten?"

"It's a song my mom would sing to me before she died"

"Can I hear it?"

I smiled and began to sing him my mother's song

_When you try your best, but you don't succeed_  
><em>When you get what you want, but not what you need<em>  
><em>When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep<em>  
><em>Stuck in reverse<em>

_And the tears come streaming down your face_  
><em>When you lose something you can't replace<em>  
><em>When you love someone, but it goes to waste<em>  
><em>Could it be worse?<em>

_Lights will guide you home _  
><em>And ignite your bones<em>  
><em>And I will try... to fix you<em>

_And high up above or down below_  
><em>When you're too in love to let it go<em>  
><em>But if you never try, you'll never know<em>  
><em>Just what you're worth<em>

Singing this song gave me flashbacks of my mom, how she would sing this to me every night before she tucked me into bed, her soothing voice lulling me to sleep, tears formed in my eyes and Dick would wipe them away with his thumb as I continued to sing

_Lights will guide you home_  
><em>And ignite your bones<em>  
><em>And I will try... to fix you<em>

_Tears stream down your face_  
><em>When you lose something you can't replace<em>  
><em>Tears stream down your face<em>  
><em>And I...<em>  
><em>Tears stream down your face<em>  
><em>I promise you I will learn from my mistakes<em>  
><em>Tears stream down your face<em>  
><em>And I...<em>

_Lights will guide you home_  
><em>And ignite your bones<em>  
><em>And I will try... to fix you<em>

"Selina would sing this to you?" asked Dick as I finalized the song, and I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes

"Every night before I went to bed, it was sort of her lullaby to me" I told him, hiding my face in the crook of his neck

"You know, I kinda see Selina in you a lot" said Dick

"How so?"

"You get very passionate about your family, you have a quick temper, you value your family more than anything, and you look damn good in her Catwoman suit"

I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his waist

"Pervert"

"But you love this pervert, right?" Dick joked

"More than anything?" I murmured, kissing his cheek

We were about to start a make-out session when there was a knock on my door

"It's Jason and Roy, let us in"

I went and opened the door for them, and Jason came in holding two large paper bags full of liquor

"I heard someone wanted to throw a little family party" said Jason, putting the bags on the floor

"How much did you bring?" I asked him as I peeked inside the bags

"Enough" was all Jason replied

Roy had another bag filled with cups, napkins and some snacks

"Let's get the party started" I said gleefully as I took out a bottle of Jack Daniels from the paper bag

"Are Tim and Damian asleep?" wondered Dick

"They are in Tim's room watching Adventure Time" said Jason

"Get a cup guys and serve yourselves what you wish" said Roy as he handed us a cup each

As we served ourselves our liquor of choice, I looked around and saw the guys just messing with each other and talking animatedly about the patrol, I lived for these moments with my brothers, this was how I always envisioned seeing them, being together, having fun and not bashing each other's heads in

"Avery, you there?" called Roy as he waved a hand in front of me

I snapped out of my reverie and grinned at Roy

"Sorry, just got lost in thought" I said sheepishly

Dick then took his cup

"What should we toast for?" he asked

"I know" I told him, lifting up my cup

The guys all looked at me, waiting for my response

"I wanna make a toast to family, the only thing in life that will never abandon you"

The guys all looked around at each other, then smiled and lifted their cups

"To family!"

**A/N: Sappy ending, I know, but I wanted at least one of my chapters to end on a good note, I hope that you all liked it, but don't worry, my fellow readers, next chapter will have an old 'friend' dropping by and confronting Avery, but who will it be? You all know what to do, READ AND REVIEW! They make me ever so joyful :)**

**FEEL THE ASTER!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 23: Starfire

**Quick A/N: I was reading this story to make sure I was keeping up with the storyline, and I noticed that I forgot to add the age of each member of the bat-clan, so if you were curious, here are their ages accordingly:**

**Dick Grayson-Wayne: 25 years old**  
><strong>Avery Wayne-Kyle: 24 years old<strong>  
><strong>Jason Todd-Wayne: 23 years old<strong>  
><strong>Timothy Drake-Wayne: 21 years old<strong>  
><strong>Damian Wayne-Al Ghul: 18 years old<strong>

**Hopefully this will be helpful**

**On To The Story!**

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was the hammering in my head, it was the worst feeling in the world, it felt as if my head was about to be cracked open, I looked around and noticed that all the guys were still knocked out cold, on the floor no less, and I tried to get up but I was too hungover to even bother getting up, so I just laid back down with Dick and hoped that my hangover would soon fade

Bottles of liquor were strewn all across my room and it smelled like a bar, I was gonna have to do some serious cleaning today if I wanted to avoid Alfred coming up here

"Damn, my head is pounding, that tequila is no joke" groaned Roy as he rose from the floor

"You and me both, Harper" I grinned, still holding on to my aching head

"Good morning, Avery" said Roy, running his hand through his red hair

"Morning, Roy"

I got up and began to clean up with Roy's help, trying not to wake Dick and Jason, I was glad that the bottles were all drained and not a single drop had spilled onto the floor or I'd have my room reeking of liquor

After we finished cleaning up my room, I went to my bathroom and took out some aspirin from my cabinet and some water, then handed some pills to Roy as well, then he left to the guest bathroom to take a shower, and I went to do the same in my own bathroom.

As I opened the door to my bedroom, I noticed that it was only Jason that was still asleep, Dick was nowhere to be found, I wasn't gonna be able to change in my bedroom, so I took my clothes and undergarments then changed in my bathroom

When I got out, I saw Jason was already awake, so I went and got two aspirin for him with some water

"Thanks, Ava"

"No problem, last night was fun, huh?"

"Yeah, you can say that, I think I over did it with the Jim Beam though" I smiled and plopped on my bed

"Well, you were never one to turn down a challenge, and once Dick challenged you to a drinking contest, you just couldn't say no, now could you?" I teased

"What can I say, I like to live dangerously" Jason grinned as he stood

"Dick is probably coming back here, so I'm gonna go get a move on and find Roy"

"Jason wait" I said, taking hold of his wrist

"What is it, Avery?"

"I, well I just wanted to say, thank you"

"For what, Avery?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, for accepting my relationship with Dick, I'm not gonna act like this is still a huge thing for you to accept, but still-"

"Save the emotional bullshit, Avery, I know what you're trying to say, and I get it, you're absolutely right, I won't deny that I made the biggest mistake walking away from you all those years ago, and I'm paying for it, but Dick is my brother, above all else, he is family, he was there for me when I needed him, even when I left, he still worried for me, if that's not family, then I honestly don't know what is"

I looked down in shame

"Jason, if I ever made you feel as if I was throwing my relationship with Dick in your face, I'm truly sorry"

"Damn it, woman, I forgive you! Golden Boy makes you happy, I can see it in your eyes when I see you with him, I always hoped that one day you'd look at me that way, but I was the prick that made a big mistake, and I was too late, much too late"

"Jason..."

"Ava, listen to me" said Jason as he tilted my head up to look at him

"No matter what shit happens from here on out, I will never, ever, hold any hatred or resentment towards you or Dick for being together, it wasn't your fault or his fault, the fault falls entirely on me, I left, I walked away from you and from the boys and from dad, don't ever blame yourself for my damned mistakes, you hear me, you and Dick will always be my siblings"

I teared up, and I threw my arms around him

And I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, Jason just held me, comforting me

I didn't notice the door opening and Dick walked in

"What's going on?" I looked up at Dick, then I threw my arms around hin

"Take care of her, Goldie" was all I heard Jason say before he left my bedroom

"What happened, Avery?" asked Dick, rubbing my back

I told him everything, from start to finish, all the guilt that was eating at me came out

"Avery, you need to calm down, I'm happy that things are finally cleared up between the two of you, I kinda figured there were things left unsaid between you two, I'm glad that it's all out"

"Yeah" I choked out "I just didn't want him feeling like I was being a bitch by throwing our relationship in his face"

"Avery, stop placing so much blame on yourself"

After our little emotional moment, I finally felt better and stayed in bed with Dick, just being together was all I needed after all

"Dick, I wanna go patrol tonight" I told him

"Avery, you're not cleared until tomorrow, I don't think it's a good idea to go tonight"

"Dick, seriously, I'm getting tired of staying home while the guys get to go out on the field, I miss joining them"

"I'm just scared for you, ever since you got hurt last time, I've been worried that something like that could happen again when you get back to patrol"

"I'm not made of glass, Grayson, I know these risks, I know that this job will get you a beating, but I chose this life, I wanna continue living my mother's legacy by being Catwoman, and I'm sorry to say, nothing you tell me will change my mind otherwise, I'm going on patrol tonight, whether you like it or not"

Dick sighed "Fine, but promise me that you'll stick with me throughout the night"

I smiled and kissed his nose "I wouldn't have it any other way, boy wonder"

Since I had skipped out on breakfast, I decided to head down to the kitchen with Dick and make me a sandwich for lunch

I was talking to Dick and I didn't notice that Alfred was making his way towards me and I bumped into him

"Crap, sorry Alfred, what's going on?"

"Miss Avery, there is someone downstairs who wishes to see you" I looked over at Dick

"Who is it?" I asked

"Miss Kor'i, she's downstairs in the living room" I suddenly saw red and stormed my way downstairs

When I reached the living room, I saw her sitting down, I was about to jump at her when I felt a pair of arms encircle my body

"What's the rush?" I looked behind me and noticed that Jason was tightly holdingme back from causing bodily harm to his 'friend'

"Starfire, what the hell are you doing here!?" Kor'i just looked at me with a calm look

"I wish no harm, I just want to talk with you Avery, that is all I wish"

"Bullshit, I still owe you an ass-kicking for almost breaking my neck, you don't think I haven't forgotten?" I seethed, frantically attempting to get my hands on her

"Avery, knock it off" said Dick as I saaw him coming down the stairs with Tim, Damian and Roy

"Todd, let my sister go this instant" ordered Damian, his sword placed securely behind his back

"All I want is to talk to Avery, it was not my desire to cause such chaos in your home" said Starfire as she remained seated on the couch

"Jason, I promise I won't lay a hand on your partner, now let me go" I hissed

Jason then let me go and I began walking up the stairs, halfway up I noticed that everyone was still in the living room

"Starfire, follow me, we will talk in my dad's office, Damian you will be keeping guard, come on, I don't have the patience for this shit"

Both Starfire and Damian walked behind me, as we reached the office, I opened the door and let them inside

I took a seat on my dad's chair and looked at Kor'i straight in the eye

"Start talking" I demanded

"I came here to ask for your forgiveness, my recent actions towards you were uncalled for and I acted out of anger and hurt, I just wanted to-"

"Kor'i, you choked me to the point I was almost killed, if it hadn't been for Jason or Damian, I'd be dead with my neck snapped in half because of you, what in God's name makes you think I will even consider forgiving you?" I cut off, anger emanating off of me, I wanted nothing more than to have Damian slice her into tiny bits and feed them to Titus

I then looked at her in surprise and I began to laugh

"Oh my goodness, you're not here because you want to apologize for what you did to me the other night at the safe house, this is all a front, you're hoping that by coming here to apologize to me, you'll get brownie points from Dick, wow, I must admit you really are pathetic"

Kor'i's calm demeanor was beginning to fade, it was obvious by the way her eyes weree slowly turning bright green

She then walked over to me and slammed her hands on the mahogany desk, breaking it in half

I just smirked at her

"Finally found you out, Tamaranean, I'm not that stupid, you'll be willing to do anything to get Dick's attention, you'll resort to fake apologies and false promises of friendship, Jason and Roy might still hold hope that you can change, but I know you for what you really are, you're just as manipulative and conniving like Blackfire"

"Do not mention my sister's name in my prescence" Kor'i warned

"Is this the whole reason for your visit, because if it is, then you're surely wasting your time" I replied

"You do not deserve Richard, Avery, it is easy to see that you are just using him to get back at Jason, you have him so blinded" Kor'i snapped, slamming her fists into the desk again

"That's mahogany" I sneered

"This isn't a game, Avery, you do not deserve Richard!" Kor'i barked, her eyes burning neon green

"And you think you do, Tamaranean? Let me ask you something, who was the one who left him at the altar on the day of his wedding? Who was the one that was standing there, looking like a complete fool because of you?"

"I wasn't ready, Avery, I wasn't ready to make such a huge commitment, and I-"

"CUT THE BULLSHIT, KOR'I!" I screamed

"Why didn't you tell him all of your worries a week before the wedding, or the month before, why make him look like an idiot in front of our family and friends?"

Kor'i was about to inch herself closer to me, but my little brother's sword prevented her from doing so

"I suggest not touching her if you still wish your limbs intact, Tamaranean" Damian growled

"I love Dick Grayson with all my heart, Kor'i, Jason accepted us, why the hell can't you?" I asked

"I know Richard, I know he still loves me, I can feel it, I am certain he can forgive me for deserting him"

I was honestly becoming scared, she was getting delusional, I reached into my pocket and secretly sent an S.O.S. signal to Dick and the others, Starfire's eyes went bright green again and she stretched out her hand and shot a star-bolt towards me, I ducked in time for the bolt to hit the window, shattering the glass into millions of pieces

Damian attacked her from behind, but Starfire saw him coming and threw a punch to his face, sending him flying backwards

"Damian!" Starfire then went back and flew towards me, she aimed a kick to my stomach, but I dodged it and I gathered all the strength I had and tackled her, trying to avoid the star-bolts that she would throw at me with her eyes

Starfire then grabbed me by my hair and slammed my head onto the floor, I was beginning to see stars and couldn't find my bearings, luckily Damian got Starfire off me and was facing her on his own, I looked around to find anything I could use as a weapon, and I saw the broken pieces of what used to be my dad's desk, I grabbed a long wooden plank and then I ran over and smashed her head in with the plank

I went over to check on Damian, he was a bit disoriented and I noticed he was holding his left side, I figured Star had done some serious damage, as I helped Damian stand I heard him yelling "AVERY, LOOK OUT!" and suddenly, I felt myself being pushed back down as I heard a gun go off

"Damian, Avery, are you okay?" asked Dick, running over to us

"What the hell happened?" I wondered, rubbing my head

"Starfire was about to deal the killing blow when I shot her with a tranquilizer bullet" said Jason as he checked on Starfire

"You okay, Avery?" Damian asked, looking worriedly at me

"I'm fine, baby bird, just a bit woozy" I told him as Dick helped me up

"Geez, she must've flown off the handle if she caused this much damage" said Roy as he looked around the office

"You have no idea, Harper" groaned Damian

"Jason, Roy, I don't give a flying fuck what happens to her, she's your partner, just get her taken care of, I want her out of here now" I demanded as Dick led me out of the office

"Where should we send her, Avery?" asked Roy as he lifted Starfire onto his arms

"I hear Arkham is running low on crazy people, that might be a good idea, like I said, she is your partner, get her out of here before I get rid of her for you" I hissed

"We'll this isn't the 'Welcome Home' I was looking forward to" said a voice behind us, I turned and I smiled widely despite my aching body

"Daddy?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 24: My Father

I ran to my dad and threw my arms around him, so glad to finally have him home, call me a baby all you want, but the moment I felt my dad's arms around me, I was bawling

"Shh, honey, I'm home now, it's okay" Dad cooed as he patted my hair

I let go and allowed for Damian and the others to welcome dad back, Roy was taking care of Starfire and was already down the stairs as me and the others caught up with dad

"Dad, it's so good to see you again, but I thought you were gonna come back in a few weeks?" I asked as I helped him take his luggage to his bedroom

"Cassandra had it handled, she allowed me to come back despite the fact that the crime in Beijing was becoming worse with each day that passed"

"I'm sorry about what happened right now with Star, she kinda flew off the handle" said Dick, standing behind me

"What exactly happened while I was gone?" my father demanded, we all just looked at one another and Dick was the one who told him everything, from beginning to end, he left nothing out

I looked at my dad and I could tell he was extremely upset, but his face showed a calm demeanor

As Dick finished explaining what had happened while my dad was away, I noticed he left out the little visit we had from Talia, but I knew he took that part out so my dad wouldn't flip out, Dad then looked over at Jason, who was behind Damian and Tim

"Jason..." Dad walked over to him, Tim and Damian had stepped aside and Jason looked at dad with such guilt and regret

"Bru-, I mean dad, I'm sorry, I was wrong to leave a-"

We all got a huge shock when my dad threw his arms around Jason and cried openly

Jason closed his eyes and returned the hug, tears cascading down his own cheeks

I went over to Dick and placed my arms around his waist, a smile on my face

This is all I wanted in life, everything was falling into place, I was beyond happy

"My son, welcome home" Dad said to Jason as he pulled away, wiping Jason's tears away

"Thanks... Dad"

"Group hug!" cheered Dick as he gathered all of us and surrounded my dad, I couldn't help but laugh as we all gave each other awkward hugs

When we broke apart, we all sat in dad's room and asked him questions on his stay in Beijing

"I was just glad that Cass is fluent in Mandarin, half of the things that the people spoke I couldn't understand" said dad as he sat on his bed, I was sitting on the floor

"So tell me, has Mrs. Williams found out it was you and Jason who hog-tied her at the hospital fundraiser?" I looked at Jason and Dick, who just grinned like idiots

"Alfred told you, didn't he?" I asked, trying not to laugh

"Actually, no he didn't, it was on the international news, since she is the wife of a political figure, they ran the story of her little 'incident'" Dad explained, an amused smirk on his lips

"She brought it on herself, I'm not gonna justify my actions" I told dad

"Alfred did tell me about the little accident you and Dick had while on patrol, how's the injury?"

"It's fine dad, Dr. Thompkins came by and healed me up, I can go back to duty tomorrow, but I'm actually thinking about going back to the field tonight"

"You sure, Avery?"

"Dad, you worry too much, I'll be fine, Dick is gonna be with me to keep a look out for me, right Goldie?" I asked, looking at Dick

"Yeah, I'll make sure she doesn't go overboard" said Dick as he looked at my dad

"Father, Grayson failed to mention that mother came by last night" said Damian

"She what!?" I face-palmed, this was why Dick didn't say anything about Talia, because we all knew this would happen

"Yeah, but don't worry dad, she wanted to come see you, we didn't tell her where you were, but she was a persistent little pest, she wouldn't leave without seeing you, but we managed to get her to leave" I said to my dad _'Right after I kicked her ass for rejecting Damian as her son'_ I left out, but he didn't need to know that

We stayed in dad's room, talking and catching up, later Tim, Damian and Jason went downstairs to get a snack, dad had asked for me and Dick to stay behind, I had an idea as to why he wanted to talk with just us

"So, I take it you are in a relationship with my daughter?" _'I knew it!'_ I thought

"Yeah, to be completely honest, it's something that just suddenly happened, but I can sincerely say that we're both happy" Dick replied, throwing an arm around me

"What about Jason, is he okay with this?" I looked up at my dad, I never told him of my feelings towards Jason, how could he have known?

"Don't act so surprised, Avery, I can read you just like an open book, your feelings toward Jason were pretty obvious, sweetheart"

I groaned

"Yeah, we've all talked about this, he's assured us that he's fine with it, just as long as I take care of her" answered Dick

"I trust her with you, Dick, but if you ever make her cry or hurt her, you'll be in a whole lot of hurt" Dad warned, putting on his Batman persona

"C'mon, Dad, Goldie would never do anything of the sort to me, he's a good guy" I defended

"I give you my word, Bruce, I'll take very good care of your baby girl" promised Dick

"Good, now tell me how you hog-tied Mrs. Williams again" I laughed and we retold the story to my dad in every detail, I managed to get a full belly laugh from him, which was rare of my dad to do

"Tim hacked into the hospital's computer system?" asked Dad

"Yeah, he managed to turn the whole hospital's electricity out while me and Jason did the rest, on our way back home, Dick found out it was us" I replied, remembering how shocked I was that he had found out it was us right away

"You do know she's gonna assume it was you, right?"

"I know, Dad, but at this point, I don't care, let her find out, serves her right"

"Avery, while you pranking her was hilarious, it was still wrong" said Dad, giving me a stern look

"I know, I know, but hey, enough of that, did you bring me something from China?" I asked, giving him my famous puppy dog eyes

"Yes, I did, actually I brought all of you guys something" Dad then grabbed one of his suitcases and took out a few items out, along with an oversized case, the first item was an adorable stuffed Catwoman doll, according to my dad, we were quite the celebrities in China, they had a collection of toys and other memorabilia dedicated to us

"Thanks dad, I love it" I went over to him and gave him a hug, which he returned, then he looked over at Dick and gave him a medium-sized stuffed blackbird with the Nightwing insignia on its chest, Dick was beyond excited when he got his gift

I went to call the boys who were downstairs and had them come back to dad's room for their gifts

Jason, Damian and Tim showed up sans Roy and went over to get their presents from Dad

"Damian, here you go, I hope you like it" said Dad as he gave my youngest brother the oversized case, Damian opened it and found a beautifully crafted Miao Dao blade, Dami was at a loss for words, I thought he was gonna cry

"This is, wow, this is such an amazing sword, thank you father" Damian then gave my dad a brief hug and went to go play with his new 'toy'

"And Tim, here is something for you" Dad handed Timmy a book on ancient Chinese culture

"This is awesome, Dad, thanks!" Tim said gleefully as he looked at his new book in amazement

Dad went over to Jason and handed him a stuffed replica of the Red Hood, the detail of the stuffed toy was on point, down to the helmet

Jason smiled at the toy and looked up at dad

"Thanks, old man" Bruce just smirked and hugged his son

After we all received our gifts, we all left dad's room so he could rest up before we got ready for patrol

"This is the cutest Catwoman doll I've ever seen" I replied as I hugged my stuffed doll tightly

"It doesn't compare to my Nightwing bird, you gotta admit it's adorable" Dick grinned as he looked at the stuffed bird in his hand

We were at my room, just laying down in bed with our gifts from dad

I inched closer to Dick and he wrapped his arms around me, my hands were on his chest, drawing invisible shapes

"I'm glad my dad also approved of our relationship, he was the only one I feared wouldn't accept it" I told him as my hands went from his chest to his hair, feeling his smooth jet black hair between my fingers

"I'm happy as well, Bruce's approval meant a lot to me"

My lips soon found his and we soon engaged in a make-out session, I will never get tired of Dick's hands running up and down my back, it sent shivers up my spine as he kissed every single part of my body, I felt my shirt being lifted up, I backed away as I allowed for Dick to remove my shirt and my bra, oh man, did he know how to fondle my breasts, I then returned the favor and removed Dick's shirt, I would feel such an exhilaration as my fingers touched every part of his body, as my hands roamed freely until they reached the zip of his jeans

"Avery, are you sure you wanna do this now?" breathed Dick as he kissed my neck, removing my shorts

I was about to reply when my phone began to ring

"Are you fucking serious right now?" I growled as I checked the caller ID on my phone, it was Damian

I answered it right away

"What is it, Damian?" I snapped

"Father wants us at the Batcave for group training" was all he said then hung up

"Damn it" I groaned, Dick was beside me

"I guess this is like a signal that we kinda got carried away"

"Whatever, dad wants us for group training" I said, as I stood up from my bed and began putting on my clothes on again, this time I opted for a pair of sweatpants instead of my shorts

"Don't get upset, Ava, besides, if you want we can continue this after patrol tonight" Dick remarked, standing up as well and putting his shirt back on

"Don't tease me, Grayson"

Dick just laughed and I followed him out of my room and walked to the Batcave.

When we arrived in the Batcave, we saw that dad and the rest of the guys were already in hand to hand combat training

Jason was training with Tim and Dad was training with Damian

"Start fighting, you two, you tap out you lose, get started" ordered Dad as he blocked a flying kick from Damian

Me and Dick got on the fighting mat and got into our fighting stances

"Ladies first" said Dick

I smirked and I ran towards him, attempting to land a hit to his chest, he tried to kick my left side and I jumped over him, delivering a spinning kick, making him fall over

I then flipped away from him to give myself some distance between him and I, Dick jumped up and ran towards me, his fist coming to my face, I blocked and I dealt a punch to his chest

"Geez, Avery, we're just training" growled Dick as he rubbed his aching chest

"Sorry, just releasing some pent-up frustration"

Dick just grinned at me, he then took hold of my arm and flipped me over, but before I landed on the mat, my feet touched the floor and I managed to hit Dick's blind spot, he let me go and I hit the mat

We kept going at it, trying to get a hit on each other until Dick called for a timeout

"Wait, hold on, I'm getting a bit sweaty" Dick then proceeded to remove his shirt

Oh, he is such a jerk! He wasn't getting sweaty, he was trying to get me distracted!

"Alright, I'm ready"

"You're an ass, Goldie" I muttered

"Why am I an ass?" asked Dick, a small mischievous smile forming on his lips

"You're not really sweaty, you know that your body is my weakness and you're using that weakness against me"

"I don't know what you're talking about" grinned Dick as he jumped up and tried to kick my side

I flipped out of the way and assaulted him with a barrage of punches and kicks, and it was frustrating me that I could not get a single hit on him

Dick found one of my weak spots and hit me, making me fall backwards, I tried not to get distracted by Dick's bare chest, I had to look at his face most of the time to avoid staring at his body

When I got close to Dick, I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him, then I kicked the back of his knees and made him fall down

"You wanna tap?" Dick smirked then flipped me over, my back hitting the mat, with my arm across my chest, and the other behind my back

I glared at him

"Jerk" I muttered under my breath, Dick laughed and leaned down to kiss me

"Alright, everyone start suiting up, we leave on patrol for thirty minutes"

As we all walked to the locker room, I noticed that Roy was nowhere to be seen

I then saw Jason grab his helmet and his guns, and decided to ask him on the whereabouts of his best friend

"Jason, hey have you seen Roy, he wasn't training with us, where is he?"

Jason sighed and looked at me

"It was both decided by me and him that it was best for Kor'i to be taken to Arkham, we figured the doctors there can figure out what caused her to go crazy"

"Jay, I'm not trying to sound like a smartass, but it's pretty obvious what caused her to go insane, she is crazy over Dick"

"I figured as much, hopefully her stay at Arkham will be helpful" said Jason as he put spirit gum on his domino mask

_'I highly doubt that'_

"We both also decided to break up The Outlaws" added Jason as he placed his domino mask over his eyes

"Are you sure you wanna do that, Jay? You can still lead The Outlaws with Roy" I told him

"Yeah, but I figured it wouldn't be the same, I told Roy that I wanted to come back with you guys and stay here at the manor for good"

"Besides, Roy has been thinking about joining up with us"

I smiled "That's good to hear, Jason"

I then went over and grabbed my Catwoman suit out of my locker and began to take off my sweat pants and shirt, I noticed that Alfred had fixed my suit, and I began putting it on, I zipped myself up and took out the small bottle of spirit gum I had stored and took out my domino mask and began applying the adhesive on my mask, when I turned around, Jason had already put on his helmet and was loading his gun with rubber bullets

Dick soon appeared with my dad beside him

"Hey guys, you ready?"

"Yeah, I sure am, I was looking forward to going back out in the field" I told him as I placed my domino mask over my eyes

"I already told Dick that he was going on patrol with you and Jason and look after North and South Gotham, I'll patrol East and West Gotham with Damian and Tim" my dad said as he put his cowl on

"You got it" I grabbed my belt and whip and secured them tightly around my waist

The boys went on ahead, and I followed behind them until my dad pulled me aside

"Avery, I wanna talk to you before you head out tonight" said Dad, his tone serious

"What is it, Dad?"

"I just want you to be careful tonight, I was notified by a source that crime is rising up, and I already warned Dick to be careful and look out for you, he should be telling Jason the same thing by now"

I looked at my dad and smiled "Daddy, I understand your concern, but I can take care of myself"

Dad looked at me in disbelief

"Alright, so I got myself gutted a few weeks back, but I can still kick some ass, give me some credit dad"

"I just want you to be careful, I lost your mother, I don't wanna lose you or any of my sons"

I got on my tiptoes and kissed my dad's cheek

"I get that you're worried, dad, but you forget who trained me, my father's the Dark Knight, after all"

Dad smirked and gave me a hug

"Just don't get yourself hurt too much"

"Alright, see you in a few hours dad"

I made my way towards the basement where my motorcyle was stowed away, Jason and Dick were waiting for me

"You ready to go?" asked Dick as he adjusted his helmet

"Yeah, ready as I'll ever be" I told him as I climbed into my Harley-Davidson bike and put my helmet on, I pressed the button that opened up the basement and led us outside, we turned our bikes on and sped out into the city I loved to protect.

**A/N: Please Review, they make me ever so asterous lol :)**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25: Who I Am

Everything was running smoothly, there was hardly anything new to report, we did stop a few purse-snatchers, but other than that, everything was going good

"I find it highly suspicious that there is nothing going on, it's way too quiet" said Dick as he looked over Gotham with his binoculars, I was using my night-vision goggles to watch another section of the area we were looking after

"You're right, it's way too quiet, there should at least be a few drug dealers running around" I told him as I removed my goggles

"Red Hood" Dick called "Everything okay on your end?"

Jason looked at Dick and nodded briefly "Something is gonna happen, it's way too damn quiet here, too much silence is bugging the hell out of me"

_'Batman to Catwoman, can you hear me?'_ my dad's voice boomed from my comm device, I quickly answered it

"This is Catwoman speaking, what's going on, Dark Knight?"

_'Everything okay on your side of town?'_

"Yes sir, it's way too quiet for our liking, I'm going to suggest to Nightwing and Red Hood to move over to our next surveillance area, it seems that the North side is cleared out of any criminal activity" I reported

_'Very well, as soon as you look after Southern Gotham, head back to base and call it a night, there's not much activity going on here either, Red Robin and Robin are already getting on my nerves, I love them, but they are slowly making my patience fade'_

"You got it, Batman, Catwoman out" I pressed the 'end' button and walked over to Red Hood and Nightwing

"Just got word from Papa Bat, as soon as we're done with the Southern sector of Gotham, we call it a night"

"Alright, let's get going then" ordered Dick, we all then climbed down to where we had hidden our bikes, we jumped on our bikes, started our engines and drove into Southern Gotham

When we arrived, we found a small area where we could hide our bikes and keep surveillance, we got off our bikes and climbed up an old lab building and continued our watch over Gotham.

Not even twenty minutes had passed and there was already a drug trade going on, some men were trading off what looked like cocaine

"Guys, let's go, Catwoman, stay close to me at all times, you hear me?" said Dick as he took out his grappling hook gun

"Whatever" I growled, hating how he treated me like a child

When we swept in, Dick ran into one of the goons, knocking him out, Red Hood took out one of his guns and shot the main dealer in the leg

I took out a batarang and aimed it at one of the guys who had the coke and sliced his hand, the guy dropped the coke and started running, Nightwing and Red Hood managed to capture him and tied him up along with the other dealers

"Well, that was easy" Jason replied as he placed handcuffs on the last guy, suddenly a heavily armored truck appeared and several men appeared

I looked at Red Hood in annoyance "You just had to jinx us, didn't you?"

Jason just smirked "Shut up and fight, kitty cat!"

The men then began attacking us as we tried to fend them off, I used my whip to lift myself up to the nearest building and dialed my dad's comm device

"Catwoman to Batman, do you read?" I panted, catching my breath

_'Catwoman, what's going on?'_

"We are in need of back up, I repeat, we are in need of back up, some drug dealers didn't like us intruding on their business and we are being attacked"

_'I have found your location and we are on our way, in the meantime, keep them busy'_

"You got it" I cut off the signal and then went back down to help Jason and Dick

I landed a clean kick to one of the goons' face and helped Jason take out the guy he was facing, when I turned around I saw one guy run towards Dick with a knife, and at that same exact moment, I saw red, I got a flashback of when I had gotten stabbed, I let my anger control me and I chased the guy and tackled him to the ground

I scratched him, punched him, kicked him, I grabbed his head and began smashing it into the concrete floor

"You asshole, you think you're so tough behind that knife, huh?" I screeched, smacking him and hitting him hard, I took out my brass knuckles and used them against him, bloodying his face until it was beyond recognition

I felt myself bring grabbed and pulled away from the thug, I kicked and screamed bloody murder

"Catwoman, that's enough, snap out of it!" I ignored the voice and tried to continue attacking the thug

"Catwoman, listen to me!" I couldn't listen to anyone, all I saw was crimson, so much anger had taken over me, all sanity had flown out the window

I then felt someone slapping me, making a sickening sound

"Nightwing, what the hell!?" I heard my dad bellow

I felt my right cheek stinging, and tears running down my cheeks

"You hit me?" I whispered, looking at Dick

"I'm so, so sorry, I didn't know what else to do to make you snap out of it, please forgive me, I'm sorry" Dick pleaded, I then looked at the man I had attacked, he was unrecognizable anymore, I had beaten him mercilessly, he was still breathing, but only slightly

I looked at my glove-covered hands next, they had so much blood, I started to hyperventilate

"I didn't mean to" I gasped looking at everyone, my dad, God he looked so shocked

I felt someone put their arms around me, I looked at Dick, who was crying, I myself began to cry and wrapped my arms around Dick, sobbing.

Moments later, my dad demanded that Dick and I leave with him on the Bat-Plane, Jason would take our motorcycles with him on Tim's jet

When we arrived on the plane, my dad turned and punched Dick square in the nose

"DAD, STOP IT!" I shouted, standing in front of Dick

"If it wasn't for him slapping me, I would've killed that guy" I said, helping Dick stand up

"Jesus, daddy, you busted his nose" I gasped, lifting Dick's head up to prevent more bleeding

"I deserved it, Avery, I should've never laid a hand on you, I gave him my word that I would never hurt you, and that's exactly what I did" Dick replied, pinching the bridge of his nose to stop the blood flow

"Dickie, I don't blame you, I'm glad you did it, I would've murdered that guy if you hadn't slapped me, I'm not mad at you" I whispered

"Let that be a warning to you, Dick, you are my son, but if I see that you hurt my daughter like that ever again, you're going to pay" Dad warned, handing him an ice-pack from the first-aid kit nearby

"And I'm sorry for hitting you" added Dad before he turned and walked towards the control room

"We're even" said Dick, as he pulled me towards him

"I never meant to hurt you, Avery, it wasn't my intention" said Dick, hugging me tightly

"I don't blame you, Dickie, I'm not mad at you, you did what you thought was right, but next time, don't put so much weight on your hand, I think my cheek is gonna bruise"

"I love you, Avery"

"I love you too, Grayson"

We had finally arrived at the manor, when we got to the cave, Roy was waiting for us along with Alfred, when Damian saw Dick approaching the others, Damian threw his arm back and socked Dick clean on the nose, again

"Damian, No! What the hell is the matter with you, that's the second time!" I yelled, pushing Damian away from Dick

"Lay a hand on my sister like that again, you'll be missing _both_ heads" threatened Damian as he was being removed by Jason, even I couldn't help but flinch at Damian's threat

"What the hell happened?" asked Roy, looking at my bruised face

"Long story, Harper"

Alfred looked after all of us and patched up our injuries, then we proceeded to our respective bedrooms to shower and call it a night.

I had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed for bed when I heard someone knocking on my door

"Just a minute" I called, pulling on a pair of sleeping shorts and one of Dick's shirts on me

I then went to answer the door

"Dad, what's up?"

My dad looked up at me, and kissed my forehead

"I wanted to apologize for the way I treated Dick, it was uncalled for and I did wrong by acting out on impulse"

"Daddy, you shouldn't be apologizing to me, go and apologize to Goldie, I already forgave him for what he did"

"I did apologize to Dick as I made my way to my bedroom, just thought I should apologize to you too" said Dad as he petted my head

"No need to do that, it's all water under the bridge, now I'm gonna go over to Dick's room and talk to him, goodnight daddy, sleep well" I replied, reaching up to kiss his cheek

"Use protection" was the last thing dad said before he walked towards his room

"Gross, Dad, that's just wrong" I called after him, closing my bedroom door behind me

I walked over to Dick's room and knocked on his door

"Come in, it's open" Dick called, I opened the door and walked in, seeing Dick in his bed, in nothing but his boxers

"Hey" I said

"Hey, you wanna get in bed with me?" Dick asked, as he made room for me on the bed

"Yeah" I then laid down and wrapped myself around him

"Ave-"

"If you tell me you're sorry one more time, I'll slap you" I warned

Dick laughed and kissed my cheek

"You have no idea how angry I felt when I saw that douche run towards you with that knife, I got a flasback of what had happened to me weeks ago, and I worried that the same thing happened to you, so I snapped and just attacked him, if you hadn't hit me, I swear I would've killed him right then and there, the person you saw earlier wasn't me, that's not who I am" I whispered, playing with Dick's jet black hair

"Avery, I'm a tough guy, I can handle a few stab wounds, I've survived through worse, I need you to have some faith in me, I don't give up without a fight, you know that, just like everyone else here in the manor knows that it's gonna take more than a small stab wound to take me from you, and I understand that you allowed anger to control you, it has happened to me before, just like I'm sure it has happened to all of us at some point"

I smiled and leaned towards him to give him a kiss, luckily Dick had no shirt on, so it made it easier for my hands to touch every part of his body, this man made me feel things that I thought were impossible before, I thought it was impossible for me to fall in love with Richard Grayson even more, but it seemed that the word 'impossible' was not in my vocabulary, every kiss he placed over my body, every sweet word he whispered to me, every promise he made to me, I kept falling in love with him more and more, this man was my life, which was why I felt a small bit of guilt within me because I knew that I still loved Jason as well

But Jason was the least of my worries now, I gave my full attention to the man who was slowly removing my shirt (his shirt, technically, but whatever) and kissed my stomach and made his way up

It was in this instant that I realized that I wanted to give to Dick my heart, my body and soul, he was the one for me, of that, I had no doubt in my mind that this man had stolen my heart, over the last few weeks we had been together, Dick had slowly healed the wound I had in my heart after Jason had left, he supported me, he took care of me, but most of all, he loved me, above all else, and for that, I was eternally grateful, I know I had told him days before that I wanted to put this on hold until we were ready, but on this night, I had never felt more ready in my whole life, I knew I wanted this, I was prepared, I just wished he was too

"Dickie" I sighed, I repeated his name, as if in a mantra, a prayer of some sort

"I want you" I told him, kissing his neck

Dick stopped what he was doing, and looked at me

"Avery, are you sure, you had told me that you wanted to wait"

I grinned and kissed his chest

"I know what I said, but I have never wanted anyone the way I want you right now, Richard John Grayson, I want to give you something that no one else can take away, my heart, my body, my soul, they are yours should you choose to accept it, I have a clear mind, and what I want is for me to become your woman"

Dick's eyes bore into mine, whether he was trying to see if I was lying or not, I'm not sure

But then he backed away from me and went to his drawer, he took something out and went to the bathroom

Minutes later, he came back and climbed back into bed

"Had to put a condom on, don't want kids running around so early, now do we?" was all he said before he removed my (his) shirt and bra, I smiled and we picked up where we left off

I then gave my whole entire being to him, I became his and he became mine, we made love and I can't say that I regret it, because I don't, he was the best thing that had happened to me.

After our little love-making session, I was wrapped in his bedsheets, and I felt like I had been taken to heaven and back, I looked over at Dick, who had already fallen asleep, and I laughed

_'So he's the type of guy to fall asleep after making love'_ I thought as I wrapped my arms and legs around Dick

"I love you, Golden Boy" I whispered before falling asleep myself

The next morning, I woke up to the bright light of the sun hitting me in the face

"Close the blinds, Goldie, I wanna sleep in" I groaned, turning over to avoid the sunlight

"I don't wanna get up" whined Dick as he pulled me towards him

"Lazy ass" Dick gave a muffled laugh and kissed my shoulder blade

"Do you regret last night?" I heard him ask

"I don't know, do you?"

"I'll admit it was a bit sudden, but no, I don't regret last night one bit"

I turned over to give him a kiss

"Then neither do I, last night was the best night of my life, we declared our love to each other, and I don't regret that one bit"

"You do know this means you belong to me now, right?" Dick queried

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Grayson, and besides, you are my man as well, anyone who tries to touch you is gonna be sorry"

We remained in bed, basking in the silence

"How's your nose, dad and Damian seemed to like punching it last night" I replied

Dick laughed "they had broken it, but I put it back in place before you came"

"Sorry about that, I guess they get overprotective of the only female living in the house" I said, placing my hand on his chest

"It's okay, I don't blame them, it was justified, I did hit you, after all"

"With good reason" I added, trying not to let Dick guilt-trip himself

"So, wanna go for round two?" Dick asked, I playfully smacked his arm

"Maybe tonight, you wore me out last night, I wanna rest up" I said, wrapping myself in the blankets

"Was I that good, I just figured I was decent in bed" Dick replied, blushing a deep red

"What you did to me last night wasn't anything near 'decent', Goldie, you were an animal"

"You're just saying that to feed my small ego, aren't you?" joked Dick

"Not at all"

"But, I will say this, you had quite the mouth on you when we were getting on last night" now it was my turn to turn crimson

"Oh geez, was I loud?" I groaned

"You weren't loud, but you had quite a colorful vocabulary" teased Dick

"I can't help it, you bring out my bad side" I defended, snuggling up to him

Dick then rose up when his phone began to ring

"Can you check that for me, babe?"

I got his phone from the bedside table and checked the caller ID, it said 'Jason Todd'

I then handed the phone to Dick "It's Jason" I told him

He then pressed the 'answer' button

"Good morning, Red Bird" Dick greeted, as he talked to Jason, I allowed myself to sleep in a bit more, but I couldn't sleep anymore, I was wide awake

"Alright, see you in a bit then" Dick remarked as he hung up on Jason

"What was that about?"

"Jason wanted to ask if we wanted to go with him to the shooting range"

"You said yes, right?" I wondered

"Yes, the guys already went ahead to go get something to eat, they told us they would meet us there"

"Cool, so do you wanna get something to eat here, or go out?" I asked

"Let's give Alfred a break and go somewhere to eat, so get up and start getting ready" ordered Dick as he smacked my butt

"Ouch!" I screeched

"You liked it, don't lie"

I then saw Dick stand up and head towards the bathroom

"Hey, Dickie, is the shower big enough for two?"

A sly smile appeared on Dick's face

"Why don't you come and find out"

He didn't need to tell me twice

**A/N: Read & Review, Please! It Means A Lot To Me :)**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 26: **I'm back! Did anyone miss me? Well if you did, I apologize for not updating, I was having writer's block and lack of inspiration, and I was lacking serious motivation, but I got my mojo back! Here is the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy it and please tell me what you think about it in the reviews section, and to Striking Shadow (my only reviewer lately) thank you so much for your reviews, they mean a lot to me :)**

**Enjoy!**

We had just arrived at the gun range, Jason and the guys were all waiting for us at the entrance when my phone began to ring

"Hello?" I answered

"Thought you got rid of me that easily, Avery?"

"Hm, how's Arkham treating you, Kor'i?"

"I should not be here, Avery, because of you I lost Roy and Jason, they were the only friends I had"

"No, Kor'i, you can't go around pointing fingers at everyone just because of your mistakes, you attacked me more than once, you can't keep playing the victim"

"I need to speak with Jason or Roy, I've been trying to reach their cell phones, but it seems they will not answer, are they with you?"

"No, and even if I knew where they are, I won't say a word of them to you" I spat

"You will regret everything you've done to me, Avery Wayne, the day will come when I will finally take my revenge on you for taking Richard away from me, I know he still loves me, and I love him too, and nothing you say or do will change that"

"Oh, you poor unfortunate soul, Richard Grayson belongs to me now, you are delusional, the moment you left him on the altar, he stopped loving you, he hates you for what you did, and he's finally happy with me, why can't you let him go?"

"I will not let him go without a fight, this will not be the last you hear from me, I give you my word, you will regret the day you stole Richard Grayson from me"

I scoffed "Your empty threats don't have me worried, now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be, goodbye"

I had clicked on the 'end' button when I saw Dickie walk up to me

"What did she want from us now?" he asked

"Yeah, she called me from Arkham Asylum, threatening me that I was going to regret the day I stole you from her, you know, crazy stuff" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose

"She needs help, I think she's starting to lose it" said Tim as he adjusted his sunglasses

"Fuck that, she lost it a long time ago"

"Look, all I'm saying is that something happened after the break-up that triggered something in her to make her the way she is now" Dick reasoned

"I honestly don't care what triggered her, all I care about is knowing she'll be locked away for a while in that crazy place" I replied, making my way to the door

"You can't really mean that, can you?" I stopped halfway to the entrance

"Excuse me?"

"Shit, Dick, you are so fucked" said Jason as he backed away from me

Dick began to get nervous, I couldn't believe he had just said that

"Well, I mean, Kor'i may be a bit unstable, but even she doesn't deserve to be rotting in that place, she may be an alien, but she still has a heart after all" I turned around and slowly made my way back to him, my eyes a menacing glare, all the boys began to get scared, even Damian who is quite fearless, began to shake a bit in fear

"Are you shitting me, unstable? These past few weeks have been hell for us because of her, I got beaten twice because of her, I almost didn't make it out alive if it hadn't been for Jason, and speaking of Jason, did you know he is disbanding The Outlaws because of her, and her behavior is 'unstable' to you?" I seethed, Dick was sweating bullets, trying to keep eye contact with me

"Guys, is this true? You broke up The Outlaws?" asked Dick, turning to face Roy and Jason

"You gotta understand, Dick, she's no longer the same girl we knew from the beginning, she's changed completely, we knew something was wrong with her the moment she decided to attack me and then she attacked Avery not once, but twice, Jason and I decided it was best to send her to Arkham, we know she can take care of herself" Roy explained

"Now you know the reasons why she was sent away" I told Dick

"I just don't understand why are you defending her so much all of a sudden, you do know she humiliated you inn front of almost all of Gotham City, right? Or have you already forgotten?"

"No, Avery, I haven't forgotten, not a day goes by that I remember the embarassment she made me go through" Dick replied, running a hand through his hair

"Then why stand up for her, Dick, I still have the bruises she left me after she tried to snap my neck in half" I growled, showing him the faded black bruises that were on my neck

"Avery, she means nothing to me, if that's what you're trying to imply, I let her go, along with the past I had with her, but you know how Arkham treats their patients, do you really think her or anybody there deserve the treatment they get?"

I slammed my hand against the nearby wall "Why should I give a damn about them, Dick, last time I checked, they deserve to be there, they did the crime and they have to make the time, I sincerely thought that Kor'i could change, I honestly did, but after she attacked me and Damian that day in our home, all chances of her getting any redemption from me were thrown out the window, so don't you go preaching to me about second chances"

"But what about Jason and Roy, how do you think they felt when they had to turn their best friend and teammate in? Did you think they enjoyed it?" asked Dick as he pointed to my brother and our close friend

"You're making it sound like I did all of this on purpose!" I screeched

"I'm not saying you did, Avery!" Dick shouted back

"You kinda are, Goldie" muttered Roy

"Shut up, Roy!" we both shouted, making Roy hide behind Jason

"I'm just saying it was hard for the two of them to see what Kor'i was turning into, she was the one that held their team together, and now they had to put her away because of some sick obsession she has with us" Dick continued

"Well shit Dick, if she means that much to you, go back to her, it's pretty obvious you still have the hots for her" I said sarcastically

"Damn it, Avery, why are you making this difficult? All I said was that Arkham isn't the best place for Kor'i, she needs to be somewhere more advanced, if she remains in Arkham, she'll be bound to escape soon"

"And why the fuck should that be our problem? She chose to do this to herself, we didn't do anything at all" at this point, I was beyond angry, I was about to explode in rage, I counted to ten to try and calm myself down, and then I spoke again with a calm tone

"Fine, if you're so concerned with her wellbeing, go talk to Jason and Roy, maybe they can help you get your little alien girlfriend back"

"Fucking shit, Avery, you can be so damn stubborn!" Dick shouted in frustration before slamming his lips into mine, I attempted pushing him away, but he was too strong for me, I ended up giving in to his kiss

_'Stupid idiot, he better be lucky I haven't kicked him in the balls yet'_ I thought as I melted into the kiss, my arms wrapping around his neck

When we parted, I looked at Dick "Avery, I truly am sorry I mentioned anything about her Kor'i, but please know that the only girl for me will always be you, not Kor'i, not anyone else, just you"

I stared at him until I threw my arms around his waist "You better be lucky I love you, Dick Grayson, or you would be in a world of hurt right about now" I warned as I tightened my hold on him

The guys had began to walk towards the gun range, and Dick and I had stayed behind, trying to reconcile after our little argument

"I'm sorry I brought Kor'i up, but I can't help but worry about her, just like I'm sure you still worry about Jason" said Dick

"Goldie, in a way, I do get where you come from, I really do, but she's out of your life now, you're with me now, she shouldn't be your problem anymore, and when it comes to Jason, he is our brother, I love him, I won't deny that, but I don't love him the way I love you, and if we're being honest, yes, I still worry about him, because I'm scared he's gonna leave us again" I replied

"I told you once Avery, Jason didn't come back to be a temporary brother to us, he came back to repair the damage he made when he left and to repair the relationship with our dad"

I sighed, pulling Dickie towards me

"I just hope you're right, Dickie, Jason is our brother and we should have faith in him"

"He is having a hard time, he did have to send his friend to Arkham, after all"

"Yeah" I sighed

"Hey, I don't know about you, but do you wanna go somewhere else?" asked Dick as he gently played with my hair

"What did you have in mind?" I wondered

"A bed, candles, body oils..."

"I get the point, pervert, but I thought we could save that for later tonight, how about we go get something to eat" I said

"Sure, should we let the boys know?"

"They just went inside the range, though" I told Dick, making my way to my car

"Well, send them a text, and if they want to come we'll wait up for them, and if they wanna stay here, we'll go on without them"

As Dick texted the guys, I went to my car and turned the radio on

A while later, Jason and the boys appeared

"Where should we go eat?" Jason asked, climbing into his Cadillac Escalade

"I'm up for whatever" I told him

"I'm in the mood for some sushi" said Tim

"Sounds good, where to go though?" I asked

"Let's go to Little Tokyo" Dick suggested

"Sure, we'll meet up there" Roy replied, climbing into the passenger side of Jason's car

"May I come along with you and Grayson, Avery?" Damian queried

"Sure, Dami, get inside" I was a bit confused as to Damian's quiet nature, he was like this the whole day, but I couldn't really talk to him due to my little spat with Dick earlier

As Damian got in the car, we began pulling out of the range and on our way to the restaurant

"Hey Damian, why are you so quiet?" I asked

"I want to apologize to you, Grayson, for punching you in the face last night"

Dick smiled "I don't blame you for hitting me, Damian, it was justified, you have nothing to apologize for"

"I still want to apologize, and for threatening your masculinity as well" Damian added

"I'll admit, that did scare me a bit" said Dick

"Well, seeing as that everything is all cleared up, let's change the mood up a bit okay? This is way too gloomy for my liking" I said, turning up the volume on the radio a bit loud

I was in the middle of my favorite song when Dick's phone began to ring

"Avery, can you answer my phone for me?"

"Sure"

I took Dick's phone out of his pocket and answered

"Hello?"

"Avery, hey we got some bad news, I just got a call from Arkham, Starfire escaped"

_'Shit!'_

"We can't stop her, Jason, we're not in costume, what do you suggest we do?"

"What happened?" Dick asked

"Starfire escaped from Arkham"

"What!?"

"Should we just go back to the manor and suit up?" asked Jason

"Tell Jason to meet us at the manor, we'll talk strategy there" said Dick

"Dick says to go straight to the manor, we'll think up of a strategy there" I told Jason

"Got it, see ya in a few"

As we hung up, I began to shake

"I cannot believe this, Dick, she escaped, she's gonna go through on her threats"

"She will not go through on any of her threats, Avery, you need to calm down, let's just get back to the manor, and we'll figure something out"

As we drove back to the manor, my mind was racing a mile a minute, all I could think about was Starfire

Could she really follow through on her threats? I was freaking out

I honestly thought thing s were looking up, but life managed to prove me wrong, everything seemed to be going all to hell

"It's all going downhill from here, Dickie, just when I thought life was getting good for us, it all comes back to kick us in the ass"

"Like I said, we're about to get home, and we'll figure something out, Starfire couldn't have gone that far, let's hope she's still in Gotham, otherwise, we're in a shitload of trouble"

"Alright, you're right, but drive a bit faster, I'm starting to feel a panic attack coming"

As we finally arrived at the manor, we met up with Jason and Roy, who were caught up in a heated argument, and Tim was trying to calm the guys down

"Hey, what's going on?" I called, trying to get everyone's attention, but Tim and the boys were still shouting

"Guys!" I shouted and everyone's attention focused on me

"What's with the arguing, what happened?" Dick asked, then all of a sudden everyone started talking all at the same time

I was starting to develop a headache

"SHUT UP!" all of the boys turned to look at me

"Someone please tell me what's going on, and if everyone talks at the same time, so help me God, I will start cutting people"

"I suggested to Jason that once we get our hands on Starfire, we send her back to Tamaran, and Jason doesn't like that" Roy explained

"Look, I know she's not stable, but that still doesn't mean we should send her back to her fucking planet, she's our friend, Roy" Jason reasoned

"It's because she's our friend that I want to send her back to Tamaran, she needs to be with her people, her family" Roy snapped

"Blackfire is the only family she has left ever since she killed Wildfire and Galfore, she'd go psychotic if she went back to Tamaran" Jason remarked

"Guys, we need to act out right now, she's on a rampage, I just got a text from Batman, she's attacking the upper east side of Gotham, we gotta go and suit up" Dick said, walking towards the batcave

"Look, this is something the both of you need to work on, because she's your friend, but you gotta decide on something now, whatever you decide to do, we'll back you up on it, but you gotta think of something right now" I said to them, turning to follow Dick

As I walked down the stairs that led to the cave, I could hear Jason and Roy still arguing, I felt somewhat guilty for letting things get so far like this, but I could only blame myself for so long, Starfire was getting out of control and something had to be done about her, and only Jason and Roy had the proper solution to this problem.

And as much as I wanted to deny it, I also knew that this situation was hurting both my little brother and my friend, but this was something that needed to be done, and as much as they were hurting, I was hoping with all of my heart that she would be sent back to Tamaran.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please read and review :)


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 27: The Hardest Part

When we arrived on scene, the cops were already getting out their weapons and K-9 units had their dogs sniffing around for Starfire's scent

Nightwing had began giving out our orders

"Here's what's gonna happen, Red Robin and Arsenal will go and help the police officers scouting the southern area, Robin and I will patrol the northern part, and Red Hood and Catwoman will scout the eastern part of the forest, we clear?"

"Yes"

"Alright guys, please look after each other, if anything happens, let us know and keep your devices on" ordered Nightwing

"Let's go" we had begun to separate, and Red Hood and I had begun to head east when I felt someone pull me towards them, I was about to deliver a punch until I turned and saw Nightwing

"Hey, everything okay, Nightwing?"

He just smirked at me then leaned down and kissed me

"It is now, be careful kitten, take care of her Red Hood" and with that he ran off towards Robin

"That was, unexpected" I replied, a smile appearing on my lips

"Come on, we have a job to do" said Red Hood

"We should ask one of the officers or K-9 units if we can help by tagging along, we can't do much by ourselves" I told Red Hood as I searched around for any signs of Starfire

"You shouldn't be doing this, Catwoman, this is mine and Arsenal's business, we shouldn't have dragged you or the other Robins along in this"

"Hood, we became involved the moment she attacked my family, as much as you wanna carry the burden of her actions, you can't, this is a family issue now"

Red Hood had left his helmet back at the cave and only had his red domino mask on, I was making my way towards one of the Gotham City cops when I felt Red Hood grab my arm

"What the hell, Hood?" I snapped

"We need to talk, seriously" was all he replied

"Can't it wait, we have a job we need to do, we can't afford any setbacks" I told him, trying to yank my arm from his firm grip

"No, we need to talk now, you had sex with Dick already, didn't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act dumb, Catwoman, I can tell you and him already had sex, it's obvious no matter how hard you try to hide it"

"We didn't have sex, we made love, there's a difference, and why does this matter to you, this is not the time to be discussing this, like I said before, this can wait until after we finish our job" I sneered

"I'm sorry, but I can't wait anymore"

"Jason, I thought we had already talked about this, you said so yourself that you accepted my relationship with Nightwing"

"And believe me when I say that I do, but I just need to get a few things off my chest"

"Red Hood, I don't know if you've noticed, but this is definitely not the time to be having a heart to heart" I groaned

Jason then grabbed me by waist and pulled me towards him, his vibrant blue eyes staring intensely at me

"I really need to do this" and without any warning, Jason leaned down and kissed me, I had no idea what to do, I knew I should push him away, but another side of me told me this is what I had wanted all along, that this was what I deeply desired

So, I gave in, I closed my eyes and returned the kiss with equal passion and fervor, our tongues waging a battle of dominance, I wrapped my arms around his neck and wove my fingers through his jet black hair, my conscience was screaming at me, scolding me for doing this, but at the moment I just couldn't bring myself to care

We were so into the kiss, that I didn't notice my comm device beeping until Jason broke the kiss and handed me the device

"Catwoman here"

"_Kitten, we have a lead on Starfire, we need yours and Red Hood's assistance, I'm about to send you the coordinates to our location"_

"We'll be on our way" I whispered, trying not to look at Jason

"_I love you"_ those words opened the emotional floodgates

"I love you too, Nightwing, be careful"

"_I will" _

"10-4" I cut out the signal and looked at Jason with such hatred and anger, I stormed away from him and began the walk to Dick's location

"Catwoman" Jason called, but I ignored him, I had to before I did something extremely stupid

"Say something, damn it!"

I turned to face him, then with all the strength I had in me, I slapped him, hard

"How dare you!?" I cried, letting out a sob

"You sick son of a bitch, why would you do this to me and Nightwing!?"

"I love you, Catwoman, I know I fucked up big time, but I just had to show you that I still love you"

"You asshole! As soon as we get back to base, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you, but we gotta help Nightwing"

"You can't love me anymore, I'm happily taken, what happened earlier was a mistake, I let myself get carried away and my emotions were acting out instead of my brain, I'm in love with Nightwing, and I had hoped you would understand"

I couldn't form proper sentences because of all the crying, I wanted to be mad at Jason, but I knew some of the blame was directed towards me as well, I had allowed the kiss to happen and I allowed myself to kiss and be kissed by him

"Cat, I want you to believe me, I do accept what's going on between you and Golden Boy, I sincerely do, but I just wanted to let my feelings be known to you, as much as it fucking hurts me to see you so damn happy with him, I accept it because he's my family"

I sighed, I looked over at him, tears still blurring my vision, I knew that what I was fixing to do was gonna bite me in the ass one day, but I also had a few things I needed to get off my chest, so I walked over to him, took his face in my hands and kissed him again, at first Jason was non-responsive, but then he took hold of my waist and deepened the kiss, finally letting out our emotions

When we parted for air, I couldn't bring myself to look at Jason eye to eye

"I hate to admit it, but I still love you, I can't deny it anymore, I still love you" I whispered "But I moved on, Red Hood, I'm happy with Nightwing now, I'm _in love_ with him, but you gotta learn to keep your distance, I don't want this to cause another rift between us, especially now that dad and the boys finally have you back in their life"

"I'm not leaving again, if that's what you're implying, Cat, I give you my word that what happened just now is gonna stay between us, and I still want us to get along, with no awkward silences or weird moments between us, is that okay with you?"

Even though I was angry as hell with him, I couldn't bring myself to to hate him

"Let's go, if we keep stalling Nightwing will think we're in danger, we'll talk about this more later on" I replied as I turned and began making our way towards Dick's location

"It's better if we take Red Robin's jet, we can get there faster" said Jason as he went the opposite direction

"Do you know how to fly it?"

"Yes, so calm your ass down" I smirked, even when I was mad at Jason, he always knew how to cheer me up

We then quickly made our way to the jet, we were getting ready to strap in when Jason's comm device began beeping "Red Hood here"

_"Red Hood, it's Red Robin, hurry your asses here immediately, Nightwing has been badly injured and we need your help trying to control Starfire, take my fucking jet if you have to, just get your ass here now!"_

My heart was beating a mile a minute, Nightwing was injured, I couldn't help but think that this was my fault, I began to hyperventilate and I gave Red Hood an exasperated look

"Oh God, please Jason hurry up, I wanna see Dick"

"We're on our way"

Having arrived on the scene, I saw Starfire shooting bolts at Damian, Roy and Tim, while the police were tending to a wounded Nightwing, I completely ignored Red Hood, got out of the jet as fast as I could and ran to Nightwing's aid

"Oh my God, Nightwing, what happened?" I gasped as I tried to get close to him, he was all bloodied up his suit in shreds and his body covered in deep gashes

"Starfire got me pretty good with a star bolt when I let my guard down"

I tried not to cry, but seeing him in pain was adding to the growing guilt of me kissing Jason earlier

"Miss Catwoman, I'm gonna need you to aid your crime-fighting friends, we'll tend to Mr. Nightwing, the ambulance is on its way" said an officer as she called for medical assistance

"Please take care of him, officers" I replied before I turned to assist Tim and the others

I was running to Tim's aid when a green bolt came at me, luckily Tim gave me a heads-up and I was able to block it just in time

"Cat, are you alright?" I heard Red Hood ask as everyone came over to me

"I'm fine, just a bit surprised" I told them as I shook off some dust off me

"You are here to avenge Nightwing, am I right?" came Starfire's annoying voice from above, I saw her wearing the typical orange Arkham Asylum jumpsuit

"Orange is not your color, Starfire" I sneered, trying to keep my pent up anger in check

"You make jokes, but you are not in a joking mood, considering the way I left Nightwing all bloodied and bruised'

"So much for all the love you claim to still have for him" I snapped, taking out my whip

"He needed to be taught a lesson, and as much as it hurt me to cause him so much damage, I had to teach it to him"

"You're fucking delusional, alien" Damian snapped, jumping up to attack Star, but she flew over him and blocked his katana

"Robin enough! Pray tell, Starfire, what is the lesson that you felt the need to teach him?"

"Nobody leaves me, ever"

"That's pretty pathetic if you ask me, considering the fact that you were the cause of The Outlaws' split, your sick obsession with Nightwing and your constant attacks against me and my family drove Red Hood and Arsenal to break up the Outlaws, it was all your doing" I shouted, I tried to strike her with my whip, but she floated above me

"If you wanna fight me, at least try to fight me fairly, or are you too much of a coward to do that as well?"

"Tamaraneans are not cowards"

"Then come down and fight me like the strong Tamaranean woman you claim to be, no magic, no star bolts, just a fair hand to hand fight"

"Do it, alien, unless you're too scared" goaded Robin

"Robin, stop provoking her" scolded Red Robin

"I will do as you say, just this one time" said Starfire as her hands went from neon green to her regular skin tone and she landed on the ground, but before I could get into a fighting stance, she tackled me into the ground

I tried to get her off me, but I couldn't manage a hit without her blocking me, until Red Hood shoved her off me

"How dare you, Red Hood?" she gasped, face contorted in shock

"You've been fucking with us over and over Star, me and Arsenal were the best of friends on and off the field, we had a tight bond, but you were the one who threw it all away with this sick obsession you have for my brother ever since you found out he's in a relationship with Catwoman, you resorted to attacking not only her, but my other brothers as well, you drove the final nail in the coffin when you attacked my sister in my own home, you need help Star, but you're too blind too see that, you need to go back to Arkham" Red Hood was seething, his anger and frustration were radiating off of him

"I cannot believe you of all people are defending that woman you call your 'sister'" Star snapped as she got up from the ground

"Was she not the one you cried over all those nights? Was she not the one you would beat yourself up over time and time again? How can you stand beside her and defend her knowing all the damage she has done to both of us by being with our significant loved ones, but you claim to have gotten over it, when it is clear as daylight that you still love her, just as much as I still love Grayson"

"But I moved on, Star, because I wanted to be with my family, I wanted to make up for all the lost time, for all the suffering I put my father and my siblings through, if I can get past it, why can't you?"

I watched, along with the others as Jason and Kori argued, I got the feeling that any moment dirty laundry was about to be aired out

"Because she doesn't deserve him!" Star bellowed

"And who the hell are you to judge who deserves who?" barked a voice behind us, we all turned to see a bandage-covered Nightwing limping towards us

I ran to him quickly

"Nightwing what the hell are you doing, you should've gone back to the base, we have this covered" I chastised, trying to hold him up

"I needed to see what all the commotion was about, I was being tended to, but all I could hear was shouting, so as soon as I got patched up I made my way here, what's going on here?" asked Nightwing as I helped him walk to the others

"I am glad you are here to witness this, Nightwing because some truths will finally be revealed tonight" spoke Starfire as she got closer to us

"What are you talking about, Star?" asked Arsenal

"Did you know that while you were out and about on the town, Arsenal, me and Red Hood were getting to know each other in a more 'intimate' manner?"

"Star, shut up!" shouted Red Hood

We all turned to look at Red Hood, who was still, he looked guilty

"And did you also know, that Red Hood agreed to stay away from Wayne Manor, due to my strong 'influences'?

"I remember all the nights we would make each other moan in pleasure as we would give each other the best sex every night, but I would never get him to call my name, it was always _her name_ he would scream out" Starfire retorted in disgust

"Red Hood, is this true?" I asked, turning to face him

Red Hood was looking at Star before he turned to face me

"Yes, everything she is saying is true"

It pained me more than I could have imagined hearing this, but he wasn't with me, I couldn't judge him for something I had no control over

"It hurts hearing this, doesn't it, Catwoman?" teased Star as she smiled wickedly at me

"He was a free man, what he did in his past is of no importance to me" I retorted, feigning indifference

"I see" was all Star said

"Very well, Star, if you're gonna be airing my dirty laundry for everyone to see, how about I repay the favor" said Red Hood as he turned to face Nightwing

"Nightwing, do you want to know the actual reason Starfire left you at the altar the day of your wedding? And trust me, it wasn't because she wasn't 'ready' to get tied down"

"What are you talking about, Red Hood?" asked Nightwing

"Stay silent, Hood" shouted Starfire, her hands turning neon green once again

"The only reason she never married you, was because she's already married"

I could have sworn everyone went dead silent

"That's right, she married none other than Conner Kent, or should I say 'Superboy', the high elders in Tamaran sent her a message that they had arranged a marriage with the son of the last man of Krypton, and in Tamaranean law, their law is unbreakable, no loopholes and no way to have the marriage annulled, Conner knew and he went along with the marriage, knowing Star wanted to marry you, and since you and him had a long running history of dislike and hate towards each other, he agreed to the marriage"

"And why didn't you say anything until now, Hood? Did you also have a grudge towards your oldest brother?" I hissed

"Would you honestly pick up the phone to hear anything I had to say knowing I had left the house for so many years?" asked Red Hood

He had a point

"Star, just answer me this question in the most honest way possible" said Nightwing, as he leaned on me for support

"What is it?"

"Did you really love me?"

"I always have, and I always will"

"Then why did you plan on marrying him when you were already in a marriage with Superboy?" I barked

"You have no idea all the sleepless nights I went through just to calm Nightwing down, all the tears I was there to dry up because he was suffering over you, but you never gave two shits about him, Star, be the woman you claim to be and be sincere for the first time in your life"

"I never meant to hurt him, I truly love him, but I could not break my marriage to Superboy just so I could be with Nightwing, it does hurt me to know I made him go through all the suffering"

I was about to scoff at her pathetic excuses, when Nightwing interrupted me

"Where is Conner now?"

"He decided to stay permanently in the Fortress of Solitude, he only comes to Metropolis when his father needs him"

"And did Superman know about the arranged marriage?" I asked

"He did not, he requested that I keep this a secret from everyone including his father"

I was glad she was still standing on solid ground, because when she wasn't looking, I attacked her using my whip, I struck her back leaving a nasty gash that was already protruding crimson blood

"Enough talking, let's get down to what I came here for"

"You will regret your actions, Catwoman"

"Bring it on, then" I then looked over to the boys, who all looked ready to jump at Star

"Guys, this is our fight, no one interfere, especially you, Nightwing" I looked at Nightwing who was still leaning on me

"I love you, never forget that" I whispered to him, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips

"I'll always love you" he responded, kissing my forehead

"Red Hood, take over for me, please, and make sure Nightwing gets medical attention, Star is mine to deal with"

Red Hood then walked over to us and took Nightwing from me

"And just to clarify, I don't hold any resentment towards you, Hood, I'll always forgive you" I replied, making my way towards Star

"Thanks, now go kick her ass"

I smirked "I plan on doing just that"

I turned to face Starfire, even though I would take great pleasure in rearranging her face, I had a feeling that the hardest part of this feud with her was only just beginning

**A/N: I have returned! I apologize for not updating, this whole new set of rules for were giving me a major headache, but hopefully this works, anyways, I hope that you enjoy my new chapter and please leave your reviews :)**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 28: Perfect Timing

The police began surrounding Star, weapons raised towards her, helicopters flying above and flashing their bright lights at us, I was in a fighting stance and her arms were glowing bright green

"You have a fighting spirit, I'll give you that much, Tamaranean" I replied, holding my whip by my side

"We Tamaraneans are natural born fighters"

I took my time to give her a brief once-over, as I looked at her, I no longer saw the happy-go-lucky, innocent, and playful girl Dick had once fallen in love with when he was with the Teen Titans, I only saw a crazy, psychotic, obsessed alien girl hell-bent on making my family's life a living hell

"Do you know what I see when I look at you, Catwoman?" Star asked, making me break my thought process

I raised an eyebrow and decided to humor her

"What do you see?" I asked, trying not to roll my eyes in annoyance

"I see a girl trapped trying much too hard to live up to her mother's reputation, I'm quite glad that the original Catwoman isn't around anymore, she would be quite disappointed to see how much of a failure her daughter turned out to be"

"You fuc-"

"The original Catwoman would be damned proud to see how far her daughter has gone"

I turned to face Red Hood standing behind me, holding a very weak Nightwing, I silently whispered something to him and he nodded in understanding before I turned back to Star

"You want to bring my mother into this, that's quite low, even for someone like you, but then again, at least my mother wasn't a whore"

Starfire's eyes went wide as saucers

"Oh, you thought I wouldn't know? Sweetie, you forget my father is The World's Greatest Detective, everything he knows, I know as well, sure my knowledge isn't as well extended as his, but I know a few things here and there" I said, enjoying the death glare she was giving me

"Why do you think Blackfire has so much hatred towards you? Because you remind her of the woman who destroyed her father's heart, every time she looked at you, she had to be reminded of the woman responsible for the death of her father, so out of fear that Blackfire would assassinate you, Galfore had you sent here to Earth so you'd be protected from her, and Wildfire-"

"ENOUGH!" barked Starfire as she began shooting starbolts

"_I have her right where I want her"_ I thought as I blocked her bolts, police began shooting but I called them off

"Cease fire!" I shouted, and all the cops began lowering their guns

"This is between me and the alien, stand down" I ordered

I faced her and extended my whip, activating the spikes at the tip

"No more talking, fight me, Catwoman!"

"With pleasure" I then jumped up and swung my whip, trying to get her attention, Star then attempted to land a flying punch at me, but I grabbed her arm before the hit was made and swung her down into the ground, making her eat dirt

I stepped away, making sure I had some distance between us, she quickly recovered from her dizzy haze and as she locked her sight on me, she flew and tackled me into the ground, making me unable to have time to move out of the way

I used my legs to try and kick free, but she had straddled me, making my legs unavailable

So I then did the only thing I could think of, I grabbed her arm and bit, hard

She screeched in pain, grabbing me by the leg and swinging me into the nearest tree

"Catwoman!" I could hear Red Hood's voice, but my vision was slowly getting blurry, I couldn't see him

Through my pain, I shook it off and managed to get back up, only to have Starfire kick me in the gut, making me double over in pain

"I am going to enjoy ripping you apart, Catwoman" seethed Star as she pinned me against a tree

I felt blood flowing down my lips, and I used it to spit at Star's face

"Insolent witch" spat Starfire as she slapped me hard across the face

"What angers you more, Starfire, that I managed to win the heart of your former flame or that everyone sees you for what you truly are, a crazy psychotic bitch?" I breathed, smiling at her through all the pain that was racking my body

Which earned me another blow, this time the hit was aimed at my ribs

I held back the tears that were threatening to fall, I would not let this girl have the satisfaction of seeing me cry in front of her

I couldn't get a hit on this girl, it was as if she was reading my mind and seeing my moves before I ever made them, I was beginning to feel woozy and I could hardly see anything in front of me

Starfire then grabbed me by the arm and twisted it behind me, I think I even heard a bone snap

"Come on, Catwoman, fight back, you've wanted to get your hands on me for a long time now, I'm right here, hit me with your best shot" taunted Star

I grinned a crimson smile at her, then I aimed a kick at her blind spot and managed to get her down, I then used my whip to strike her multiple times, the spikes inflicting as much damage as possible

I grabbed a handful of her hair and slammed her head against the ground, at this point in time, I had let the anger running through my body control my actions, the sane and logical side of me had vanished and was replaced with a bloodthirsty monster

"Be careful what you wish for, alien bitch, you just might get it" I whispered, landing a kick to her face

When I lifted Starfire's head, her eyes turned neon green, then I backed away quickly so I could avoid her star bolts

"I will not go down so easily"

"Bring it on, then" I smirked

Starfire then flew towards me and grabbed me by the neck, lifting me up

"I want to see if the old saying is true, do cats really land on their feet?" sneered Star as she flew up until we were close to the helicopters flying around us

She then took her off her choke hold on me then had me dangling from my apparently broken arm

"Come on, Cat, don't give up, kick Starfire's ass!" I smiled as I heard Damian shouting for me

"That boy, he is such a nuisance" scoffed Star

As Star had me dangling in mid-air, I discreetly took my comm device out of my utility belt pocket and dialed Jason's number. Making sure she didn't see me

When I heard his voice say "Avery?" all I whispered to him was "Now" and shut off the signal

Starfire then grabbed a chunk of my hair and began to attack me mid-air when I heard a loud 'BANG!' and I felt Star's hands let go of my hair, I managed to see Star's stomach covered in blood, I then felt myself falling down, I closed my eyes, expecting for me to hit the ground, and in those brief moments, I saw my entire life flash before my eyes, from the moment I arrived on Wayne Manor and the night I made love to Dick, from the moment I kissed Jason a few hours ago

I let a few tears escape, this is not how I wanted to die at all

I closed my eyes as I saw the ground getting close, but instead I was met with a pair of strong, masculine arms

"Open your eyes, honey, I'm here for you" said a voice, my heart soared when I heard Dick's glorious voice reach my ears

"Nightwing?" I opened my eyes and I saw a battered and bruised Nightwing smiling down at me

"Hey"

I then kissed him long and hard, gave him a kiss and threw my arms around him, crying

A few moments later, all the guys surrounded us

"Catwoman, thank goodness you're alright" Damian replied

"The shot wasn't fatal, but it got the job done, the cops are sending her to the hospital, as soon as she is discharged, she will be sent back to Arkham under strict security, it wasn't easy for me to do, but I don't regret it" Jason replied, a grim look on his face

"Red Hood, thank you" I whispered, grabbing tightly onto Nightwing's neck

"I'm just glad you're okay, that's all that matters" said Jason as he gave a brief smile

"Let's go home, I'll call Dr. Thompkins and have her look at your injuries" said Nightwing as he lifted me in his arms and made his way to Tim's jet

"Hey, Dick, could you let me down a bit, I wanna talk to you for a bit" Dick then gently let me stand on my feet

"What's up?"

"I've had a long time to think about this, even before this whole situation with Kori happened, but Dick, let's do it! Let's have a baby, I want to have your children, I want to have a family with you"

"Whoa, Avery, what's going on, you said so yourself that you weren't ready to hang up the cape, and I wasn't ready to hang up my suit either, I think you're just having a near-death experience and-"

"Dick, I've never been more certain of this, I may not be able to go back to the field, but I can still be able to help you from the inside with dad's help"

"Are you sure about this? This is a lot to think about" said Dick, still uncertain

"This whole experience made me realize that life is short, I don't wanna keep thinking 'what if' everytime I see a child or a happy couple, I know that this is taking a huge risk and our careers may be on the line, but I want to do this for you, you said you've always wanted to be a dad, so let's do it"

Nightwing then threw his arms around me

"Thank you so much"

"I love you, I'd do anything for you"

"But let's do this when you get all healed up"

"Yeah, sure" we then made our way to the jet, hand in hand

"Man, Jason had perfect timing in shooting Star, he got her good"

"Yeah, I'm just hoping this situation with her blows over soon, I just wanna put this all in the past and move on with my life" I said, putting my head on his shoulder

Dick noticed me limping and then placed me on his back

"You're in no condition to walk, I'll give you a piggy-back ride to the jet"

"I sure know how to pick 'em" I teased

"I love you, Avery"

"I love you too, Richard John Grayson, with all my heart"

When we arrived at the cave, Dr. Leslie Thompkins was already there waiting for me with Alfred and my dad

"Come on honey, let's get you fixed up" said Leslie as she gently placed me in the medical bed

"Can you and dad stay with me, Dick, please?"

"Of course" said Dick as he and Dad joined me in the medical bay, before the doctor could examine me, she had my suit taken off, and gave me a pair of my sweats and a gray shirt

Once I was changed into my regular clothes, the doctor looked me over, she felt around for any serious injuries, and I would flinch in pain as she probed my arm, my leg and the area around my ribs

"Well, you have a few broken ribs, a broken leg and a broken arm, that alien girl did quite a number on you" said Dr. Thompkins

"Don't remind me, Doc" I said, trying to block out the memories of our fight

"You're gonna be out of action for a bit, a month almost, but knowing you, you'll probably be kicking ass in no time"

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna get a sling for your arm and a leg cast"

As Dr. Thompkins stepped out, I looked at my dad and Dick

"I'm so proud of you, Avery, you fought until the end" said Dad as he ruffled my hair

"Thanks Daddy, that means a lot" I replied

"And thank you for taking care of her, Dick, I'm thankful for all of you"

"Don't mention it, Bruce, I love your daughter, I wanna make her happy"

A few moments later, Dr. Thompkins arrived and began placing the leg cast on my right leg and a cast on my left leg

"Now, try not to move around a lot, if you still have the wheelchair, I highly suggest you use it"

I groaned, I hated that dumb thing

"Your ribs didn't suffer anything serious, just bruising, so try not to strain yourself, other than that, I left your dad with some meds, if you have any questions, you know where to call me" said Dr. Thompkins as she patted my head and then turned to leave

"Thank you again, Leslie" I muttered

As Leslie left, Dick had gone upstairs to take a quick shower and change, while dad stayed behind to look after me

I was talking to my dad for a moment when Jason appeared with Roy

"Dad, can we please talk to Avery in private?" asked Jasouron

Dad then smiled at him then gave me a kiss on my forehead and left

As soon as my dad was out of sight, Jason walked up to me

"Hey, how are you?" he asked

"I'll be out of commission for a month, tops" I told him

"That sucks, I just wanted to apologize about what happened earlier, before the fight with Star"

I hummed in response, not wanting to remember that part of the night

"I'd like to leave that under 'things I'd rather forget'" I told him, placing an arm around my stomach

"Jason can be such an idiot sometimes" said Roy, smiling at his best friend

"Thanks for the help, asshole" Jason snapped

I laughed a bit "We both did something we both regret and-"

"I know, you'd like to keep it in the past, I get it" Jason replied

"Just, please, Avery don't shut me out, I wanna be a part of every single one of your lives, Dick's, yours and Damian's, Tim's and Roy's, I may have fucked up, but damn it, don't ignore me for another five years"

"Jason, you are my brother, I would never do that to you, above all else, you are my family, including Roy, don't think for a minute that we are gonna shut you out just because of something stupid we both did"

"Thank you"

"Don't mention it, Jaybird" I grinned

"Are we having a family moment without me?" I turned to see Dick walking into the medical bay with his pj's and a black shirt

"Hey, babe, come on, join the party" I said, as I motioned for Dick to come join us

"Dick, can I tell them the news?" I asked, giving him my puppy-dog eyes, he just laughed and nodded in response

"Jason, Roy, we wanted to let you two be the first to know, that Dick and I have decided that we are going to try and have a baby!"

"Wait, what?" asked Roy

"We talked about this and we thought that even though we are still young, we still wanna do this, we want to have children" I told them

Jason and Roy smiled and congratulated us, I was glad that Jason was sincere in his well wishes towards us, I just hoped that one day, I could move on and make a new life for me, Dick and our child

"I still need to fully recover from my injuries to be able to conceive, so as soon as the month goes by, me and Dick will be going at it like animals"

"Gross, Avery, no need for the visual images" joked Roy

"Shut up, Harper" I laughed, smacking him on the arm playfully

"So you wanna stay in the medical bay or go up to your room?" asked Dick

"I want to go to my room, this bed is uncomfortable"

"Let's get going, guys" said Dick as he gently lifted me up and began to carry me to my room

Jason and Roy bid us goodnight and went to their respective rooms, and Dick took the elevator to take us to the second floor of the Manor to reach my bedroom

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked him as I began to feel sleepy

"Of course"

"Thank you, not just for staying with me, but for catching me earlier, I thought I was gonna die"

"Avery, I'll always be there to catch you when you fall, you should know that by now"

"I know, but it's nice to be reminded every once in a while" I smiled, placing my small hands against his chest

We finally reached my room and he gently laid me on my bed, pulling the covers over me, he then laid next to me, his arms gently placed around my waist, making me feel safe

And as sleep overcame me, I whispered a final 'I love you' before I completely blacked out

**A/N: So, there is the new chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it**

**Here's the thing, I finally got a job, but my boss is very picky about which days I have off, so depending on the days I have off, I will be able to post a new chapter on that day, and it also depends how tired I am and if I even have it in me to write a new chapter, but I will keep on writing, so don't worry, I want to thank all the wonderful people who reviewed my last chapter, it means a lot :)**

**Read & Review, Please :D 3**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 29: Let's Go Back To The Start

It was sometime around midnight, and I still couldn't bring myself to sleep, I was wide awake with Dick next to me, lightly snoring, and all I could do was think, not about the altercation I had with Kor'i, but of what had happened between me and Jason before all of that had happened, that kiss was something I knew I should regret, but I couldn't for the life of me bring myself to do so, that kiss was full of many emotions, including love, but as far as I knew, that kiss was a huge mistake, if Dick were to ever find out what happened between me and Jason, he'd hate me for the rest of his life, and I didn't want that, I am way too much in love with him to throw all of these past few months away in the can just because I still hold Jason in my heart, no, I love Dick Grayson ,and this secret would be staying with me until I die, I can't have him know what happened, I can't break the heart of the most sweetest man I have ever met in my life, I want to give him everything he lost as a child, a family, I want to give him the chance to be a loving father, and I can't give him that if I keep throwing myself back to the past , always thinking of what could've been if I hadn't begun a relationship with Dick, no, I had to stay in the present, I couldn't keep asking myself 'what if?' anymore, I had to put Jason behind me now, he was the past and Dick Grayson was my present and future

"Hey, what are you still doing up?" groaned Dick as he lifted his head to look at me

"Nothing, babe, just had a lot on my mind, go back to sleep, we had a long night" I said to him as I snuggled up to him, trying not to strain my injuries

"I can't anymore, once I wake up, I have a hard time going back to sleep" Dick mumbled as he carefully threw an arm around me

"What were you thinking about?"

I looked at him and just smiled "To be honest, I was thinking about us"

_'Partially true, but he doesn't need to know that' _I told myself

"Really? What about us?" He asked, fully alert

"Well, all this talk about starting a family got me thinking, raising a family will take a lot of money, I was thinking, maybe I should start thinking about getting a civilian job once I'm on my feet again, since I won't be able to be Catwoman for a while, might as well get a real job"

"Yeah, now that you brought up the 'family' talk, I was thinking of maybe going back to the force" said Dick, placing his arms on the back of his neck

"You thinking about going back to Bludhaven?" I wondered

"Actually, I was thinking about joining GCPD" Dick answered

"Closer to home, that's a good idea"

"You're okay with that?" Dick queried

"I was okay with you being a cop before, Grayson, why would it be a bother to me now?" I asked

"And besides" I added "You were the one who decided to turn your badge in so you could fill Jason's place in night patrols when he left to join the Outlaws and so you could look after us, even though we were fine on our own"

"I didn't hear any complaints from you, now did I?" Dick teased

"No" I laughed "Can't say that I did, I'll be forever grateful for what you've done for us, me, Jason, Damian and Tim, we may not say it all the time or at all, but we're beyond grateful for what you have done, Timmy looks up to you because in his eyes you are the best big brother to him, Damian has an insurmountable amount of respect for you because you tolerate his short temper and snotty attitude, Jason loves you because you were the one who never looked down on him for being a street rat, and I..."

"What about you, Avery?"

"I have nothing but love for you, God knows the amount of hell you went through seeing me cry for Jason for many nights, and I also know that me telling you how much I loved him must've torn you to pieces, and I didn't realize it, but you were still there for me, you were that shoulder to cry on, the warm embrace, everything I thought I could find in Jason, I found in you and I'll forever be in your debt because you helped me live again, I love you, and I can honestly without a doubt say, you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with"

"You really mean that?"

"I meant every word" I told him

"Avery, you have no idea how happy your words make me, I had always been insecure about a lot of things, especially our relationship"

It was my turn to be confused

"Why do you say that?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear his answer

"I always thought that you getting with me was just a charade so you could make Jason jealous, I would always tell myself that once Jason would come back to the manor, you would dump me and reunite with him, I would have a small voice of doubt telling me that you were only with me to get back at Jay for him leaving you, and for a moment, I believed that voice, I really thought that once Jason got comfortable here, you'd leave me, but I thank God every night that you stayed with me, everytime I see you smile or laugh, I consider myself the luckiest man alive because I am the cause of that smile or laugh, you make me happy Avery, I love you because despite everything that has happened, we are still together, and that... well, that just makes me so damn happy"

_'Oh God Dick, if only you knew...'_

I smiled at him and leaned down to kiss him on the lips, trying not to strain my injuries

"And just keep in mind" Dick added, gently stroking my back "That you now belong to me"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Boy Wonder"

"Let's go to sleep, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow" Dick said, carefully pulling me towards him, his arms around my waist

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I woke up to the sound of my cell phone going off

_I'm only a man with a candle to guide me_

_I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me_

_A monster, a monster, I'm turning into a monster_

"Hello?" I groaned

"Sorry, Avery, I didn't mean to wake you, I thought you were already awake?"

"Stephanie?" I looked at my alarm clock, it read 11:15 A.M.

"Yeah, I called because Cassandra sent me an e-mail message, she's coming back to the States in two days and she had asked me if I could let her stay with me, but my apartment is so small, I was wondering if you guys could take her in at the manor"

"Of course she can stay with us, why didn't she call me or dad at least?"

"I'm not sure either, but I gave her your number, so be ready to get a call from her soon, I gotta go, I'm gonna visit Helena today"

"How is she, by the way?" I asked Helena is my other sister, she's the oldest by two years, but she didn't want to stay with our dad, instead she went to stay with a good friend of hers, she's in good terms with dad and I, we occasionally talk, but not as much, seeing as she also goes on patrols as Huntress, but whenever we need her for a job, she's always there to lend a helping hand

"She's doing great, she has been dealing with a prostitution ring in the upper east side of New York, but so far everything is good for her"

"That's good, hey did you ever get to go to the festival, I never got your call"

"Sorry about that, something came up and I had to cancel"

"That's alright, I hope we can still hang out soon"

"Yes, of course, I've been meaning to pay Bruce a visit"

"Steph, you can call him dad too, he is still your dad no matter what happened, how do you think he felt when Leslie told him you died?"

"Ave-"

"Look, that was wrong of me to bring up your accident, but I wish you could hear him out, he misses you, we all do, I'm sure if you asked him, he'd let you back in the manor"

"You really think so?"

"I'm certain of it"

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to-"

"Stephanie?"

"Sorry, don't hang up, Cass is calling me"

I waited for a few moments while Steph talked to Cassandra, I looked over to Dick to find he was still asleep

"My lazy boy" I sighed, a smile forming on my lips

"Hey, Avery?"

"Yeah, I'm here"

"I just got off the phone with Cassandra, she's already in Gotham International, she got here twenty minutes ago it seems"

"What?"

"Yeah, can you and Dick go pick her up, I'm too far from the airport to get her myself"

"Yeah, just call her back and tell her we'll be there in twenty to thirty minutes"

"Alright, call me when she gets to the manor"

"Will do, later" I hung up and shoved Dick to wake up

"Wake up, Grayson, we have to go to the airport"

"Why?" Dick whined, rubbing his eyes

"Stephanie called, Cassandra is waiting for us at Gotham International"

"What?"

"You heard me, Boy Blunder, we gotta go, get my wheelchair, please, these wounds are a bitch" I groaned as I tried to stand up

"Alright, let me get some pants on"

As me and Dick got dressed (Well, Dick got dressed, I just asked Dick to throw a pair of black shorts and a white shirt) when there was a knock on the door

I had just finished putting on my shorts when I allowed the person to enter

"Where are you two headed off to?" asked Damian as he sat on my bean bag chair

"The airport, Cassandra is here" I told him, and I swear his eyes went wide as saucers

"Seriously?"

"Yes, now don't tell anyone else, I want to surprise everyone"

"Alright"

"Let's go, Avery" said Dick as he put on his pants, and walked over to me to roll me out of my room

"Remember Damian, please don't tell everyone, I want it to be a surprise" I told him, grabbing my car keys, phone and wallet

"Very well, Avery, but what if father asks where you and Grayson are? He is in his study right this moment"

"If, and only if he asks, tell him where we went, if not, stay quiet"

"Alright"

"We'll see you in a bit"

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Once in the airport, we began having a difficult time trying to find Cassie, well Dick was the one having a hard time more than me, he was trying to look for Cassandra and had to roll me around in the wheelchair

_'I should've asked Stephanie what she was wearing so we could pick her apart from the rest of the crowd' _I scolded myself

Dick and I were trying to find her when my phone began to go off

"Hello?"

"Avery?"

"Cassandra? Oh, it's so good to hear from you! We're already here at the airport, where are you?"

"I'm inside Starbucks, I was rather thirsty and I went inside to get me an iced tea" Cassandra explained

"Okay, what are you wearing? That would make it better for me and Dick to find you"

"I'm wearing a black shirt with denim Capri pants"

"Gotcha, we'll be there in just a bit"

"Dick, Cassandra just called me, she's in Starbucks"

"That's good, let's go"

We found her moments later as she sipped on her iced tea, standing in front of the Starbucks entrance, her luggage around her

"Cain!" I shouted as Dick rolled me over to her

"What the hell happened to you, Wayne? You look like you got run over" asked Cassandra as she looked at me in disbelief

"Good to see you too, Cassandra" I teased as I reached out to hug her, Cassie returned the favor and hugged me back, tightly

"I've missed you guys so much" Cassandra replied, picking up her bags

"Same here, Cassie, it's hard to believe you came back to the States after being in China for so long" I said as Dick greeted her with a hug

"Yeah, I really missed it here, so I decided to come back for good this time" she replied as Dick and I got her bags and made our way out of the airport

"Hey, Dick can you call Stephanie and tell her to make her way to the Manor, please?"

"Sure thing, babe" Dick said as he rolled me to the parking lot, and at the mention of the word 'babe' Cassandra's eyes widened a bit at me, I just smiled at her and kept rolling towards the car

As Dick called Steph, me and Cassandra talked for a bit, then, a few minutes later, Dick pocketed his phone

"I just got off the phone with Stephanie, she said she was gonna try and get some gas money to make the drive to the manor, and I suggested that Alfred could come and pick her up instead, she agreed and she is gonna call him to pick her up"

"Is dad gonna be home when we get there?" asked Cassie, she was the only one who called my father 'dad' and loved him as such

"I think he was in his office this morning when we left, we told Damian not to tell him the rest of the guys anything because we wanted to surprise them when we got home" I explained to her as Dick resumed taking us towards the car

"So no one knows about my return except for Damian?" wondered Cassandra

"Pretty much, I can't wait to see the looks on their faces, although I'm not sure you've met Roy Harper, have you?" I queried

"All I know from him is that he is Oliver Queen's adopted son and he is one third of The Outlaws, along with Jason, speaking of which, how is Red Hood?" remarked Cassie

"He's doing great, my little brother came back to us, we patched things up" Dick replied, smiling brightly

Cassandra smiled widely hearing the news "I'm so glad things got better between him and you guys, dad told me what happened while he was staying with me in Beijing, he was so heartbroken and sad, I'm happy to hear things are finally so much better between you guys"

"Yeah, it is, now if only I could convince Stephanie, she could come live with us at the manor, and we'd be the complete happy family I always envisioned having" I told her as I finally pulled up to the Wayne Manor driveway

"Stephanie will come around, she just wants to feel independent, besides, she's doing a great job as Batgirl on her own, well technically she is getting help from Helena and Barbara but she's doing well nonetheless" said Dick as we finally made it to the car, he then took out the car keys and had it unlocked so he could put all of Cassie's luggage in the trunk of the car

"Cass, can you please help me get into the car while Dick puts your luggage away?" I asked as I rolled myself to the passenger side

"Sure thing" Cass then opened the passenger door and then helped me get inside, she then folded my wheelchair and placed it inside the car

Dick then got into the driver's seat and Cass got in the back and put her seatbelt on

"Let's get going, shall we?" said Dick as he turned the engine on

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The first thing we did when we got to the Manor, was have Dick roll me up to my room, then he went back down to help Cassandra with her bags

I wanted to make sure the guys still didn't know she was here, so I sent a message to Damian asking him to come to my room

I hadn't even sent the text two minutes ago, and Damian had already opened the door to my room

"That was fast" I said as I rolled myself over to him

"I was nearby, father wanted some company, so I stayed in his office for a while" he muttered as he sat on the edge of my bed

"Does he know anything yet?" I asked

"Not a single thing" Damian answered, looking rather smug

"Good, what about Tim, Jason and Roy?"

"Nope, they're all in the media room, watching a movie"

"What movie?" I asked

"I think it's called 'The Boondock Saints'" said Damian as he played with a stray bat-a-rang I had lying around in my room

"What about Alfred?"

"He has no idea what's going on"

"Good, if you wish, you can see her now, I think Dick is with her at the moment, just make your visit brief, she's probably exhausted from the flight" I told him as I rolled myself towards my bed

"Very well" Damian then stood and walked out of my room, I then took out my medication and a bottle of water from out of my mini fridge, I swallowed my pain pills and chased them down with water

I looked at myself using the full length mirror I had in my room and I hated Starfire more now than ever seeing how she had left me all bruised and broken, I swore to get my hands on her one more time the next time I saw that alien bitch, but I had to put all that in the back of my mind, I had to focus on Cassandra's return

"What are you up to?" asked a voice behind me

I turned to see Dick behind me, smiling brightly at me

"Just took my meds a few minutes ago, why what's up?" I asked rolling myself over to him

"I'm gonna take the guys out for a bit, oh and Stephanie is downstairs, I told her I'd come get you so could see her" he said, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips

"Why are you going out? Cassandra just got here, I wanted all of us to hang out and have a few drinks"

"Me and the guys won't take long, I promise we'll be back in time to have those drinks, we're just gonna get a few things for our little get-together" said Dick

"Alright, but at least take me downstairs with Stephanie, is she with Cassie?" I asked

"Actually, she's downstairs with Bruce and Cassie"

"I wanted to surprise dad" I whined, Dick laughed and began rolling me out of my room

"He was surprised alright"

"Have the guys seen her yet?"

"Only Tim, Cassandra made him promise he wouldn't tell the other guys that she was here" Dick explained as he stepped inside the elevator

"Good, please be here at least by 7 P.M., I want all of us to have dinner together as a family" I told him as the elevator bell dinged and the door slid open

"Will do babe"

Dick and I finally made it to the living room, where I saw dad talking with Cassandra and Stephanie, and Stephanie was crying her eyes out and hugging dad tightly

"What's going on?" I called as Dick rolled me over to the scene that was unfolding

"I talked to Bruce, sorry, I mean dad, and he has accepted me back to the Manor! I get to be with all of you again!" Stephanie exclaimed happily as she pulled away from dad to see me in the wheelchair

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Stephanie as she looked up and down at me and saw my bruises and arm and leg casts

"Long story, I'll tell you later, but now I just wanna congratulate you on finally coming back home" I told her as I reached up to hug her, then I pulled away so Steph could hug Dick

"Yeah, I kinda missed living here" she said as she sat back down next to Cassandra

"Well, I gotta get going, I told the guys I wanted to talk to them about something important, so I'll see you guys before dinner, alright?" said Dick as he made his way to the garage

"I wish I knew why they were leaving, they knew I wanted to surprise all of them with your arrival, Cassie" I sighed, rolling myself to the girls

"I know why they left, but I swore to Dick that I would not say anything until the right moment came for him to tell you personally, all I can tell you, is that a big surprise is coming, and trust me when I say you're gonna like it, a lot" said Cassandra, giving me a very devious smirk

I looked at Cassandra suspiciously, I wanted to ask her more, but she has tight lips, torturing her would be pointless, so I gave in and just decided to have a girl's day and just hang out around the manor

Dad had to leave again for Justice League stuff, so he wasn't going to be able to join us for dinner, which bummed me out, but he said that he would make it up to me soon

As the girls and I talked, I couldn't get over what Cassandra had told me, what did Dick want to surprise me with? A million things ran in my head a mile a minute, and I think Steph noticed, because she had been trying to get my attention for the last couple of minutes

"Avery, you there?" Stephanie teased, lightly shaking me back to reality

"Sorry, I was just a bit spaced out, what did you wanna tell me?"

"I wanna know how is your relationship with you and Dick going?"

At this, Cassandra stared at me in shock

"You and Richard are together?" she asked surprised

"Yeah, we've been together for a while now" I told her

"But, whatever happened with you and Jason? I figured that if he came home, you'd take him back" Cassandra explained

"No, I'm glad he patched things up with all of us, but I had already moved on, I gave Dick a chance, and we've been together ever since" I told her

"Wow, you gotta start from the very beginning, don't leave anything out" said Cassie as she got comfortable in her chair, Stephanie did the same

"Alright, but you gotta tell me what Dick is planning" I replied

"No deal, you can't bribe me so easily, Avery Wayne"

"Fine, let's go back to the start then..."


End file.
